Third Time Around
by Somebody's Dark Angel
Summary: Dread crept up her throat as she raised her eyes to meet Seth’s. His were also red rimmed, and from the sorrow in his eyes she knew that it hadn’t been a dream – her best friend really was gone. Final chapter The Graduates!
1. 301 The Aftermath

**Third Time Around**

**The Aftermath**

**By Somebody's Angel**

_"So, you and Seth seem happy."  
"Yeah. Yeah, y'know, I really want things to be different this time. For better or worse, I really feel connected to him."  
__-Marissa & Summer, 'The Mallpisode'_

"_Y'know I really thought things were going to be different this time. But you haven't changed at all…it shouldn't be this hard."  
__-Summer, 'The Showdown'_

* * *

They said third time's the charm. Summer didn't know who 'they' were, but they were right. 

Third time around, Summer and Seth's relationship was finally going perfectly. To the outside observer they still fought like cats and dogs only to make up minutes later, but outsiders didn't know that Seth and Summer enjoyed the bickering, and that it was never about anything important. Summer couldn't remember the last time they had actually fought – it seemed their time apart had allowed they to grow up enough that they talked through their issues rather than arguing about them.

They talked a lot more this time around. Taking a leaf out of Ryan & Marissa's book, they no longer took every opportunity to re-consummate the relationship, instead using the time to get to know one another better. It wasn't a conscious decision, they just didn't go as far as often. The waiting only increased the pleasure when they couldn't stand the frustration anymore, and the increased intimacy made their love that much stronger.

Seth was slowly teaching Summer how to talk about her feelings. The biggest breakthrough was made the morning after prom when she reciprocated Seth's declaration of love. They didn't end every conversation with the words, but they were spoken frequently enough for both to believe that the phrase rang true.

Summer snuggled closer to Seth, glad of the warmth of the blanket draped over them both – it was cold on the beach late at night, despite it being August. He responded by worming an arm around her waist, pulling her hip gently so that she leaned into him. Laying her head on his shoulder, Summer gazed across the flickering firelight at the pair who shared this summer night with her and Seth.

Ryan was being macho and pretending he wasn't cold, allowing Marissa to have a blanket all to herself Despite his proclamation, he pulled Marissa close and subtly moved closer to the fire as Seth's watch beeped eleven pm.

Summer couldn't help but admire her friends. Ryan's brother had attempted to rape Marissa, leading to Marissa shooting Trey, and now both of them were being investigated for attempted murder, yet their relationship had never been stronger. With all that they had been through in the past two years, the pair deserved to have some time to just be a couple, but – according to Seth – the universe had other plans for them, and their connection grew stronger with each test.

Ryan was whispering something in Marissa's ear, and she was smiling. Summer looked away from the intimate moment, staring out across the ocean for a moment before turning her eyes upon her boyfriend. His face was gorgeous in the low light, and she lifted her head from his shoulder to see him better. He felt the lack of pressure and looked down at her, the hazel of his irises glinting tawny in the light from the fire.

She wondered if they would ever be like Ryan and Marissa, then quickly dismissed the idea, shaking her head to get rid of the disturbing images. Seth smirked at her, amused at her actions. She grinned back at him, and leaned up to kiss him softly before smacking him on the shoulder for laughing at her, even if he hadn't done it out loud. They would never be Ryan and Marissa and for that, she was thankful. As much as Summer loved her best friends, she didn't want to have their kind of relationship – aside from all the obstacles placed in their way, Ryan and Marissa were also sickening when they were happy – attached at the hip, constantly all over one another, finishing one another's sentences. Seth and Summer's relationship was different – the only obstacles they faced were ones they themselves created, they maintained their independence despite being a couple, and they didn't do extended public displays of affection – yet the connection between them was similar to that shared by their best friends. And while they _could_ complete one another's sentences, the key difference was that they _didn't_ – Summer out of respect for Seth and Seth because Summer would kill him if he interrupted her. Instead they supported one another and their friends through the various problems they had faced over the summer.

Summer had been invaluable as Seth came to terms with his mother's alcohol problem – having been through it with both her mother and stepmother, Summer was an endless source of information and comfort for Seth, whether it be helping him understand why he shouldn't hate his mother or merely being a shoulder to cry on. An alcoholic mother was one of the few things she had in common with Ryan, and the unconditional love for a parent was something she never thought she would have to explain to Seth – had hoped he would never have to experience the feelings of helplessness and abandonment that came with a parent's trip to rehab.

But it happened, and she had helped him through it.

Seth had comforted Summer as her friendship with Marissa grew thorny. After the shock of _that_ night had worn off, Marissa had blamed Summer for starting the chain that led to the shooting, and Summer, shocked into speechlessness, had fled from Marissa's room and straight into Seth's arms. He had stroked her hair while she cried into his shirt, whispering words of love and support into her hair as she sobbed and hiccuped and cursed her now ex-best friend. Despite his friendship with Ryan having lasted a good ten years less than Summer's with Marissa, Seth had some damn good advice on the importance of friends and how to mend the relationship. Marissa and Summer hadn't spoken for almost a week, until Ryan and Seth somehow got them to realise that it was neither girl's fault and that their friendship was way too important to throw away because of a single incident. The two stood by like proud fathers as their girls made up, and all four had been almost inseparable ever since.

"I love you." Seth's murmured voice in her ear broke Summer out of her thoughts.

She blinked and looked into his eyes, seeing the depth of his feelings for her. She only hoped that her own eyes reflected the feelings that she knew she felt, and thus felt compelled to ensure he knew, "I love you too."

His eyes lit up the same way they always did when she uttered those words in his direction, and she felt a pang of sadness that it had taken her this long to realise how awesome Seth Cohen really was. And then when she finally had realised, he stuffed everything up by leaving, and she spent the majority of the next year denying how she really felt. His broad grin and the touch of his lips to her forehead helped stifle the depressing thoughts, and she pressed a lingering kiss to his cheek.

Just as she was lifting her lips from his skin he turned his head to face her, and their lips were suddenly millimetres apart. Sliding her eyes to the side, Summer saw that Marissa & Ryan were no longer sitting where they hade previously been, and Seth's hot breath on her ear distracted her from his words – presumably telling her where they had gone. She turned back to him and captured his lips with hers in a fierce kiss that embodied all the emotions she was feeling at that moment – at least she hoped it did. It scared her sometimes – actually most of the time – the intensity of what she felt for Seth. She thought about a time before she had admitted how much she loved him, and remembered the valuable role his mother had played in getting her to finally admit her feelings.

…FLASHBACK…

"He really loves you, Summer." Kirsten said, passing Summer her coffee. The teenager had come to the house searching for Marissa, and instead found a willing ear in Seth's mother. Despite the female Cohen's own personal problems she had always made time to talk to Summer whenever the younger girl needed her, and now, despite feeling her body craving the alcohol she had been placating herself with since Carter left, she put the though out of her mind and concentrated on the girl whom she thought of as her daughter, even if the piece of paper that made it official didn't yet exist.

"I know." Summer sighed, unable to fathom how she had poured her heart out to the mother of the root of all her problems, and further unwilling to believe that she actually _wanted_ to talk about it with someone other than Marissa. "But why is loving him so hard?" It was the first time she had admitted that she loved him out loud – she hadn't even said the words to Marissa – and it wasn't as hard as she thought it would be. "He keeps doing…things that upset me, and even though I know he doesn't mean them, it still hurts, y'know?"

Kirsten nodded understandingly, "But he really didn't mean it. The girl…you of all people would know how inexperienced he is in dealing with women and, according to Ryan, the girl fed him some sob story about not being able to pay her college tuition if he didn't partner her in the competition-not that I'm siding with Seth!" she was quick to add, seeing the disbelief on Summer's face, "Apparently he did try and get out of it but she guilted him into following through – he lost a bet, you see. And you should have seen him when he came home – he spent the entire Sunday night agonising over how he should tell you, and he was so cut up over it…I was so proud of him for not even attempting to hide it – he really is growing up." Summer nodded sadly, and Kirsten realised that sympathising with Seth wasn't helping Summer.

"Is it always this hard?" Summer's voice was small but determined – who better to ask about long time loves than the one couple in Newport who hadn't allowed anything to break them apart?

"Love is hard. You have to work to make it last. And you know why else? If it's hard, then it's real. I don't think that what you and Seth have is just a teen romance – it's real, adult love. The kind of love that survives the bad times and it greater than anything you can imagine during the good times. It's not all sex and laughs-" Summer flushed and averted her eyes at the mention of sex coming from Seth's mother, and Kirsten smiled comfortingly, "-yes I do know that you two are…sexually active, and while I don't exactly approve, that's not the point here. The point is that real, lasting love isn't all fun and games…and I think you're figuring that out." Her fingers were warm and soft on Summer's chin as she tilted the girl's face towards her.

Summer looked into Kirsten's eyes, which showed more compassion and love than she had ever seen in her own mother's eyes. She smiled shyly and nodded, "I think you're right. I've never felt this way – I can't imagine feeling this way about anyone else. It's like…he understands me better than anyone. He can read my moods, make me laugh, and he always knows when I need to be held, even when I don't say anything." Somehow it was a lot easier to talk about her feelings when she wasn't talking to someone her own age.

Kirsten bobbed her head in agreement, "When Seth looks at you, it's like nobody else is on the face of the planet but the two of you." She smiled sadly. "It's hard to think of my little boy all grown up, but when I see the two of you together, it's not hard to see you married with kids-in about five or ten years, mind you." She hastily added, seeing the distressed look on Summer's face. "I see a lot of Sandy and myself in you and Seth. Granted, we weren't high school sweethearts like you two, but the bantering, the fighting, the connection between you, the way you're both so independent…and of course, your complete control over him." The two women shared a secret smile.

"Thanks." Summer hugged her. "That means a lot, coming from you. You and Mr Co-Sandy are probably the best example of true love I could hope to find in real life. Whenever I see the way he looks at you, the way he always knows the minute you enter the room, even if he's not facing your way; when I see you hold a whole conversation without saying a word to each other, I know that's what I want. It's like, I don't know…it's like you share the same soul or something, like you make up two parts of a whole person." Kirsten opened her mouth to say something – probably along the lines of her having the same thing with Seth – but Summer put up her hand. "I know Cohen and I have something like that, but what I'm scared of is losing it. I couldn't handle it when he finally figures out that the Summer he's been in love with for years isn't the same Summer I am now. I just know he won't feel the same way about me, and-"

"Summer." Kirsten placed a gentle palm over the younger girl's flailing hands. Summer looked down at her lap and her stilled hands, then back up at Kirsten, tears glistening in her chocolate eyes. "Oh sweetie…" She opened her arms and Summer fell into them, sobbing all the tears she had refused to let fall until now. "I'm sure Seth will always love you, no matter how much you change." Kirsten rubbed Summer's back as she spoke in soothing tones, "And the kind of love you two have doesn't just disappear over time – sure it'll change and grow and it may even fade if you two break up for a long period of time, but you'll never lose it completely."

Summer hiccupped one last time and raised her head from the older woman's shoulder. She dragged the back of her hand across her face, attempting to rid her skin of all evidence of tears. "Sorry. I can't believe I just broke down like that. I-"

"It's OK, Summer. Everyone needs a good cry now and then, and it's always much more comforting to cry on someone's shoulder than into a pillow." The brunette smiled shyly and looked at her hands, twisting her fingers together nervously. "Seth's changed too, you know." At Kirsten's words, Summer looked up, confusion replacing the embarrassment previously on her face. "You said you were afraid Seth wouldn't feel the same way about you now that you've changed from the Summer he fell in love with all those years ago. But he's changed too, especially over the previous year. Have your feelings changed about him?"

The question was simple enough, but Summer had to think about the way she wanted to answer it – she was speaking to the mother of the boy, after all. "Well…yeah my feelings have changed, but in a good way." Kirsten smiled in understanding. "I still love him, but it's a different kind of love – it's changed into something deeper, more intense…" She trailed off as she realized what Kirsten had been trying to explain to her.

…END FLASHBACK…

So caught up in memories was Summer that she only realised Seth had taken the affection further than a simple kiss when she felt her bikini top give way, courtesy of his roaming hands. He was now kissing a trail along her jaw as he slipped both hands under her pink hoodie and moved to cup her breasts. The cold night air had made Seth's hands icy despite the fire, and she jumped when his fingers touched her sensitive skin.

Pulling his lips back to hers to stifle her moan, Summer traced a line along the waistband of his board shorts, feeling him respond all the more eagerly. It had been a while – almost two weeks, what with Trey still unconscious and the depositions and getting ready for school – and both were feeling the drought.

In spite of the desire Seth was arousing within her, Summer wrenched her lips from his and looked around – there was no-one on the beach as far as she could see, "Coop and-"

"-Ryan have gone to the lifeguard tower thingy." Seth finished, resuming his trail of kisses down her jaw and moving to her chest when he ran out of jaw. Her zipper slowly made its way down, Seth's lips following his hands as more of her skin was exposed.

He pulled the top open when the zipper was completely undone, and the cold caused a shiver to run through Summer's body. Seeing her tremble, Seth removed his lips from her skin and pulled both halves of the pink fabric together.

"It's cold." She said simply, and they looked at one another, frustration evident on both their faces. Summer looked over the sea, where Mr Cooper's boat rocked on the gentle swell, but she knew there was no way either of them would last long enough to get all the way back out to it.

She felt a tugging at her shoulders and turned back to Seth. He was attempting to extricate himself from the blanket they had been sharing, but it seemed as if he was losing the battle. Grinning at him whilst attempting to stifle her giggles, she reached in between them and tugged one end of the patterned fabric out from under his shoe. He immediately fell backwards as the pressure he had been fighting against slackened.

The sight of Seth sprawled on the sand broke Summer's resolve and she burst out laughing. He scowled at her, which only made her laugh that much harder.

She was so hysterical that she didn't notice that he had gotten up until he was launching himself at her, pinning her under him and removing all traces of mirth from her lips with a fiery kiss.

She finally broke the kiss and, in between gasps for air, she looked up at him and wondered how she could have ever thought that this wasn't right. There was no better place for her to be than on her back under him – except maybe when it was him under her. His body covering hers, shielding her from most of the chilly ocean breeze which made her cold even as his lips against her skin were causing her to shiver for a whole other reason. His thigh pressed between hers, and his hands roamed her abdomen, and she was quite content to just lay there and let him do whatever he wanted to her. But then another gust of air ruffled through his hair and onto her face, and she was reminded why they had stopped before.

Pushing him off her she sat up and looked across the dwindling fire – sure enough, Ryan and Marissa had been in so much of a hurry to be alone that they had left their blanket lying on the sand. Summer pointed at it, and Seth looked at her perplexedly. "Get the blanket." She commanded, and stopped his protests before they had even left his mouth with a smouldering look, indicating exactly what he would receive as a reward for doing what she requested.

He moved to retrieve the covering, leaving Summer to arrange their blanket on the floor for them to lie on. She removed her sarong and lay down on the blanket in just hoodie and bikini bottoms, leaving no doubt as to her intentions. Seth turned around and took a sharp intake of breath when he saw his girlfriend. She smiled when she heard the gasp, and beckoned for him to join her. Carefully arranging the second blanket to cover them against both the cold and any potential onlookers, Seth looked into her eyes, now almost black with lust, and lowered himself into her waiting arms.

Summer immediately attacked his lips, her hands pulling at the hem of his red t-shirt. He lifted himself off her a little in order to rid himself of the shirt, before her small hands on his shoulders pulled his now bare chest against her own. He began whispering endearments and expressions of love in her ear as soon as she released his lips in favour of pressing kisses along his shoulders. She couldn't possibly put her feelings into words the way he could, let alone have the courage to actually speak the words out loud, so instead she showed him how much she loved him by her actions.

Later, their naked bodies curled around one another under the blanket, Seth's head heavy on her shoulder, Summer gazed up at the stars in the clear night sky. Though not bothered by actual constellations, she had always loved merely staring at the tiny spots of light, loved the way they made her feel so small and so big at the same time.

A movement at her side cause her to turn her gaze from the heavens to her angel. He really did look like a cherub when sleeping – dark chestnut curls tumbling gently into his face, long lashes gently brushing against golden cheeks barely shadowed by new growth. He was her saviour in many ways – her liberator from the otherwise inevitable descent into the next generation of Newpsies; her lifeline when she awoke herself with a screaming nightmare about her mother's departure; her tutor in education, allowing her to escape the dreaded nickname of 'Crunchie' – blonde on the inside, brunette on the outside – and, most important of all, her escape from the world she was growing to despise more and more – a world where aesthetics meant everything and substance nothing.

She traced a hand along his abdomen, feeling the puckered scar that marred the smooth flesh. It was testament to their new and improved relationship that she knew the scar was from his hernia operation, knew the origin of every unnatural mark on his body. The slow examination of one another's bodies had been an exercise in self-control, but it had also been powerful foreplay; tracing the contours of silky skin without the intention to arouse caused more desire than any frantic groping. The time they had spent together in various forms of undress had caused a profound appreciation of the beauty of the human form, and being naked together no longer meant sex was on the cards. Seth had been the first male to see Summer's post-pubescent body naked, and now she loved nothing more than to spend the night naked in his arms, for no other reason than to hold each other like that. And although being teenagers had previously limited these opportunities somewhat, the chaos of the past months had allowed them to spend more nights together than alone.

"No, honey…daddy…popsicles…Summer…" Seth mumbled random words into her ear, and she deciphered them to realise that he was most probably dreaming about the future – about being a father to their children. The idea of children with Seth scared her, but not as much as the realisation that it also excited her – she had had similar dreams herself and, while she had adamantly declared at 15 that she was not the mothering type, now she found herself awed by the concept of creating another human being.

Summer pushed Seth's head off her shoulder and rearranged their bodies so it was she using him as a pillow. His arm automatically wrapped around her waist, and he tilted his head towards hers. His soft exhalations tousled her hair and his fingers lightly played along the bare skin of her hip. Snuggling further into his warm skin, Summer allowed her eyes to drift closed and sleep to overtake her, wondering how anything could ever be better than this.

Third time really was lucky.

THE END

* * *

So what did you think? Complete and utter fluff, I know. This began as a Summer/Kirsten bonding session, then morphed into a monster when I saw the season premiere and decided to turn my lil 1000 word ficlet into a flashback. Speaking of the flashback, it occurred sometime during _The O.Sea_, before prom. I know Kirsten wasn't very "momesque" (to quote Seth) at that time, but it didn't really fit anywhere else so… 

As for my other fics, fourth chap of _Seceding Link_ is under construction, but proceeding rather slowly, so it may be a while before it's finished. And I think I gave people the wrong idea with the second part of _Beautiful Disaster_ – it's not becoming a full-on chaptered fic, it's staying as a two-shot. Anywayz, read and review – it makes me write faster!


	2. 302 The Shape of Things to Come

**The Shape of Things to Come**

**By Somebody's Angel**

"You should go talk to him," Summer suggested to her boyfriend as they heard Ryan clatter around the kitchen, obviously in a foul mood. Seth scoffed and continued on with his video game. "Go talk to him." She demanded it this time, and Seth obeyed, albeit with some eye-rolling. Summer smiled as she watched his cute butt disappear around the corner, _he is so whipped_, she thought.

While Seth spoke to his pseudo-brother, Summer thought about what he had said to her. _"I suggest you find something that you're good at that she's not."_ He was right, as he had a tendency to be lately. Though she did have Marissa's experience at her disposal, her best friend wasn't going to be able to sit beside her at meetings and lend her expertise. There was no way Summer would be joining Social Committee if she wasn't social chair – not even sustaining Marissa's legacy could cause her to take order from Taylor – but at the moment she didn't see how she could snatch the throne away from the perky blonde.

What was she good at? Not schoolwork, that was for sure. The only subject she felt remotely comfortable in was biology, and only because she had busted her butt in sophomore year – as a consequence of both Anna and Seth having been in her class – and had then found that the subject wasn't all that bad. She _was_ pretty skilled at getting her own way, with her father, with Seth, even with teachers at school, but she seriously doubted the pout she had perfected over the years would work on Taylor. _It's hopeless,_ she thought in despair,_ the only thing I'm good at is manipulating people, and Taylor's great at it too._

Putting all thoughts of school out of her mind momentarily, Summer moved her folder off her lap and picked up Seth's discarded controller. Unpausing the game she tried her hand at Playstation, only to burn out as the character died within a few steps. _Cohen's great at this game, it was a really high level,_ she consoled herself, starting a new game from the beginning.

Just as she was starting to get the hang of moving the character around the screen Seth returned, flopping down on the couch next to her, having not yet noticed what she was doing.

"Well, he's pissed off." He stated, "And he wants to beat up the new dean. Senior year is turning out awesome, wouldn't you say?"

She didn't reply, as keeping her character alive required every ounce of concentration, and he was just about to repeat himself when the noises emanating from the television alerted him to what she was doing.

"What? Summer! I was on level eight!" he whined, reaching for the controller.

Disallowing Seth the controller distracted Summer just enough that her character died – the last life. It was the last straw. Tossing the controller back into Seth's lap as her eyes filled with tears, Summer raced out of the room before Seth could see her distress.

Seth stared after her, bewildered. He heard her storm up the stairs and slam shut what he presumed was his bedroom door. Glancing at the television screen – still announcing "GAME OVER" in flashing white letters – and at Summer's abandoned folder, he hauled himself off the couch and followed his girlfriend.

"Summer?" The door wasn't shut, so he felt no qualms about pushing it open, but called out to her before he stepped over the threshold, just in case she had decided to barricade him out of his own bedroom – she had done it before. He received no response, thus decided it was safe to enter.

She was reclining on his bed, back cushioned against the wall by a pillow and Captain Oats in her lap. He knew that she wasn't upset with him – anger at him was almost always acted out – and when she hid herself away he knew she was upset about something she felt she couldn't control – her parents, Marissa, and, more recently, Taylor Townsend. Though he saw the evidence of tears in the streaks down her cheeks and the red eyes, he chose not to comment, instead moving to sit beside her.

For a minute or so they merely sat in silence side-by-side, hands touching but not laced together. Seth was waiting for her to make the first move, knowing that she would resist all motions of comfort until she was ready to be consoled. Finally she slid closer to him, moving down on the bed so she could rest her head on his shoulder, his arm automatically came up around her back, the other playing with her fingers.

"What am I good at?" Summer broke the tranquil silence in a whisper, voice shy and tentative.

Seth was confused for a second, before his own words came back to him. "Is this about Taylor?"

"Yes. No…kind of." She fumbled for an explanation, hoping that he would respond so she would be off the hook. But he didn't, so she was still caught. "I'm not good at doing anything but manipulating people. I'm not great at school, I have literally _no_ experience with planning stuff. I can't even pass the second level of your stupid video game!" The tears appeared again, but this time she was successful in preventing them from falling.

"Do you have any idea how long it took me to get to level three in that game?" Typically, Seth replied to her last statement first and, while her lips did turn upwards at his sincerity, her eyes were still shining with tears. He pulled her closer, so she was almost on top of him, and stroked her hair. "You're good at lots of things Summer. You're charming, funny, witty, not to mention incredibly gorgeous." He dropped a light kiss onto her lips, and his smile had transplanted itself onto her face when he pulled away.

"That's great and all, but how is that going to help me become Social Chair?" She questioned, sitting up and moving to sit beside him so she could look into his eyes. Her smile grew wider as she watched the expressions on Seth's faced as he thought of a solution. She could almost _see_ the lightbulb going off inside his head, and was only a second off her estimated of when he would enlighten her with the answer.

"How popular is Taylor?" The question wasn't what she had been expecting, and she had to take a moment to think about it. Sure, almost everyone knew _of_ Taylor, but did she actually have all that many friends? _Come to think of it, does she have **any** friends **at all**?_

"One step above you in freshman year." The comment hadn't been meant as a dig, and luckily Seth didn't take it that way – he got so juvenile when he thought someone he loved was mocking him.

"And you?" This inquiry earned him a Look, and he simply grinned in response. "Right, got it."

She waited for further explanation and, when it wasn't forthcoming, poked him in the stomach. "Cohen! So what's the plan?"

"One of the things you're best at is making people like you. You won over my parents, Captain Oats, my grandpa, you even charmed The Nana."

"Taylor hates me, I thought we already established that."

"I'm not talking about Taylor. I'm talking about the other girls in the Social Committee. You said it yourself, she's not well-liked."

_Leave it to Cohen to euphemise 'unpopular'._ "So what, I make everyone else love me and then the position's mine? I seriously doubt uber-bitch is going to take it lying down."

"If everyone is on your side, what choice does she have? She's not going to have a leg to stand on when the other girls are all voting for you."

Summer though about it for a minute, and decided that he was right. Taylor was bossy and controlling, and Summer had seen the resentment in the faces of the other girls.

She smiled gratefully at her boyfriend, moving up and over him to straddle his outstretched legs. "Thanks, Cohen." He returned her grin, and it only grew wider as she leaned forward to kiss him.

* * *

That night, as they watched Marissa and Ryan walk away from the carnival, Summer gripped Seth's hand tightly. With every step her best friend took, Summer's heart sank a little further, knowing that her greatest ally would no longer be around all the time. Up until now there had been hope that they would somehow find a way to get Marissa back into Harbor, but now she and Ryan seemed resigned to their fates, and Summer was certain that there would be no more attempts. Seth's other hand wrapped around her back, and she knew he was feeling something similar. His popularity had gone up slightly over the past two years, but it was mainly because of her and Ryan – now with Ryan gone Seth and Summer would be alone against the world, or at least the school.

When she could no longer distinguish the figures in the distance from the dark that surrounded them, Summer turned her eyes back toward her boyfriend, only to find his eyes moving towards hers too. Two pairs of chocolate eyes met and in that instant both made an unspoken promise – this year they would stick together no matter what. There would be no waterpolo players or tattooed punks or comic books coming in between them this year – even if they couldn't share their school experiences with their best friends, Seth and Summer would make every attempt to make senior year 'all time'.

Their seat came to the bottom of the Ferris wheel, and though Summer was mightily tempted to have another go around, simply so she and Seth could share a moment as Ryan and Marissa had, she knew that his nervous stomach wouldn't allow it, so settled for getting off, hand linked with his.

They walking amidst the hustle and bustle of the carnival in silence, simply enjoying each other's company. Seth taught Summer how to play skiball, and she won him a stuffed monkey on the Whack-A-Mole. Summer paused when they reached an ice cream stand on a corner.

"What do you say to a scoop of chocolate fudge?" she asked with a playful glint in her brown eyes. "My treat."

"I say yes to the ice cream and no to you paying," Seth answered, handing Summer his monkey – which she had named Charlie – and pulling his wallet from his back pocket.

"Cohen, let me pay," Summer insisted, attempting to give him back the toy. "What's the rule? Whoever asks, buys."

"I hate that rule," Seth admitted with a smile as he peeled a ten from the wad of bills and handed it to the man behind the cart.

Summer let out an exaggerated sigh and crossed her arms across her chest. "You just hate that rule because it hurts your big macho ego." She nudged him in the ribs lightly. "Not that it was all that huge to begin with." She added in a low tone, just loud enough for him to hear over the noise of the carnival.

"And you just love it because it builds up your feminist one," he countered, taking the two ice cream cones from the vendor and ignoring her second comment.

"No," Summer corrected with a teasing smile, "I just love it because you're the one who does most of the asking." She took the cone he offered her and smiled at him lovingly – despite her asking if he wanted chocolate fudge – which she knew was his favorite flavor – he had gotten her her favorite, choc-chip cookie dough.

"Oh, so that's how it is?" he chuckled as they continued their walk. "In that case, fork over ten bucks." He held out his hand expectantly.

"Uh-uh," Summer grinned, depositing his stuffed monkey in his hand and licking the side of her cone. "I offered to pay, but you refused. Guess you're outta luck, buddy."

Seth laughed and wrapped an arm around her waist, stealing a lick of her cone as he did so.

"Hey! That's _mine_. Eat your own." She retaliated by taking a bite out of his.

"You took a chunk of fudge! A big one too!" He attempted to get another taste of hers, but she held her cone away from him and kissed his searching mouth instead.

"We should be getting back soon," Seth commented, checking his watch after they pulled apart. "Do you trust me to eat this in your Beemer?"

"I guess but if you spill, you get to pay for it."

"Fine." He rolled his eyes at her fastidiousness, but knew that she didn't really care all _that_ much.

They took their cones into Summer's BMW, Summer in the driver's seat and Seth beside her, both practically devouring their ice creams. Where she was clean and tidy, Seth was a mess with the chocolate. It was all over his face and on his chin. He reminded her of a one-year-old trying to feed itself.

"Cohen, you eat like you're three."

"Hmm?"

"Look at your face," she said, pointing to the rear view mirror. He did and laughed at himself. "It's all over your face!"

He dipped his finger into his quickly melting ice cream and looked over at her slyly – she was concentrating on finishing her cone. He moved quickly, smearing the sticky chocolate across her lips, chin, and part of her cheek. She squealed in shock and tried to get away from his chocolate-covered fingers. Suddenly she found herself underneath Seth, a wicked grin on his face and cone in hand.

"Cohen, don't you dare!" she exclaimed as he threatened to pour some of the now-melted ice cream on her. "I will kill you and make it look like an accident!"

"I'm sure you would, Jay," he chuckled.

He smeared some across her neck and came precariously close to the edge of her shirt, eliciting a horrified gasp from her. He smirked down at her victoriously and he knew he was going to pay for it. Summer wrestled him down beneath her and straddled his waist. She was now in possession of the melted ice cream and was willing to use it. Today, Seth was only wearing a polo shirt and jacket. With fudge on the tip of her finger, she made a trail from his lips, down his neck, and to the edge of his shirt. He expected to feel the flat of her tongue lapping clean the chocolate path she had just made, but when she didn't make a move, he opened his eyes. She was still leaning over him – affording him an excellent view down the front of her low-cut top – but her eyes were no longer playful.

"What are we gonna do now, Cohen?" She asked, and he could tell that she was thinking about Marissa.

"We'll be fine. As lone as we stick together, everything will be OK." He reassured her, cupping her chocolate-covered cheek in his palm. "You wanna go find them?"

She tilted her head further into his hand as she thought, "Nah, they probably wanna be alone right now." Covering his hand on her face with her own, she smirked mischievously "And I wouldn't be opposed to some alone time either." Finally she moved to lick the chocolate off his skin, her fingers trailing a path up his waist as her tongue moved up his neck. When she got to his mouth, she smirked and, with a deft tongue and lips, cleaned every inch of his mouth.

Dipping two fingers into the ice cream, she brought them to his lips and he sucked them spotless without a second thought. She smiled down at him before taking him hungrily with her mouth. A long moment later, they broke apart, their breaths hitched a little with the deprivation of oxygen.

"Stick together, right." Summer murmured, keeping her face mere inches from his.

"Mmhm." Seth replied, closing the distance between their lips.

THE END

So here's the next part. I didn't get a whole lotta suggestions, but most people wanted me to do something with them after R/M walk out at the end, and my whole inspiration for this chapter was the line "I suggest you find something that you're good at that she's not", so I had to do something with that too. New chap of _Seceding Link_ is halfway done, but is turning out to be longer than planned and I don't want to split it up coz then it won't work properly. Please read and review, and give me suggestions for S/S scenes you want to see from _The End of Innocence_!


	3. 303 The End of Innocence

**The End of Innocence**

**By Somebody's Angel**

"Unless, maybe, you want to give up your partner." Seth's eyes strayed from the Dean's face as he saw movement behind the teacher.

Fortunately Summer was silent in her entry, and she stopped the moment she saw Seth wasn't alone. Their eyes locked, and he attempted to transmit a message to her whilst still seeming as if he was giving Dean Hess his full attention; _Get yourself out and let me handle this_.

Seth focused his mind back on the Dean's words when the blonde continued speaking, his eyes continuing to hold his girlfriend's. "Coz I know you didn't do this all by yourself." He was apparently way too cocky to even contemplate that a student wouldn't give him their full attention, for he never noticed Seth's eyes focused behind him.

Finally he looked away from her chocolate eyes, "Do you see anyone else here?" His voice was initially timid, but gained in strength as he realized what he was doing – for the first time in his life he was being courageous! "I mean, I think it's pretty clear I acted alone." He kept his eyes on Dean Hess, but saw, out of the corner of his eye, Summer's small smile at his words, and then her silent exit.

"Well then let's make it two months." The shit-eating smirk that Seth had seen all too much of lately crossed the Dean's face as he turned and walked out of the auditorium.

Seth chewed his lips to stop his face from falling at the thought of two months of one-on-one time with Dean Hess, looking down at his scuffed Converse – Summer had been bugging him for moneths, unable to fathom that they were _supposed_ to look worn – until footsteps outside indicated the teacher was in the hallway. He looked up just in time to see Summer opening the door. Shaking his head slightly, he made his way over to her before she could fully enter.

"We're probably being watched." He whispered, and though she rolled her eyes at his conspiracy theory, Summer followed him outside, leaving the tiki torches that had saved her from Seth's fate in the wings.

Once outside – and out of sight of the supposed 'spies' – he grabbed her hand, and they walked toward the Range Rover in comfortable silence.

"Keys?" Summer asked, turning towards Seth as they neared the car.

"Keys?" he replied, raising an eyebrow and dropping her hand. "Umm…I don't think so. My car, I drive." He pointed at himself and then the driver's side to emphasise his point.

"Oh really?" She raised her own eyebrow – much more shaped than Seth's – and moved closer to him. He backed up, never trusting when she switched gears on him suddenly. But Summer had out thought him, he quickly realized, as his back bumped up against the Range Rover.

"No, NO!" Seth protested as she moved closer and closer. "Come on Summer…"

Leaning forward and placing one hand behind his head, Summer gently pulled his head down towards hers. He protested at first, before giving in, leaning forward for the kiss. Her lips so close to his made him oblivious to her fingers at his waistband, then in his pocket, and it was only when she pulled back teasingly and waved the keys in front of him that he realised he had been duped. Seth just leaned against the car stunned for a moment before he followed Summer into the car, buckling the passenger side seat belt as she pulled out of the parking lot.

They drove in silence for a few minutes – a previously unheard-of accomplishment – before Summer spoke up. "What, now you're not talking to me?"

"Hey, that…that was cruel and uncalled for and – and cruel…" Seth protested, voice bordering on a whine, as he refused to look at her.

"Oh my god," she gasped, almost getting him to turn around and face her, but she spoke before he could move. "You're pouting. You're honestly pouting."

"No I'm not," Seth immediately declared, turning to look at her.

"Oh yeah you were, admit it. You, Seth Cohen, were pouting," Summer said, taking one hand off the steering wheel to point at him and laugh.

"Hey," Seth grabbed her hand, pointing her finger away from him, before prying her fingers open, and weaving his through hers. He sighed and turned on the radio, holding her hand tightly in his as he stared out his window, the sounds of Switchfoot echoing in the otherwise silent car.

_Hello, good morning, how you do?  
What makes your rising sun so new?  
I could use a fresh beginning too  
All of my regrets are nothing new_

_So this is the way that I say I need you  
This is the way  
This is the way that I'm_

_Learning to breathe  
I'm learning to crawl  
I'm finding that you and you alone can break my fall  
I'm living again, awake and alive  
I'm dying to breathe in these abundant skies_

They turned into her driveway and she parked the car, keeping a hold of Seth's hand to prevent him from exiting. "Cohen?"

He turned towards her only to find her practically leaping across the center console, pressing him against the door as she captured his lips in a fiery kiss. His shock paralysed him for a moment before he responded eagerly.

Trapped between her body and the car, Seth was at her mercy until she pulled away – not that he minded, of course. When she finally did, both their faces wore identical grins.

"Thanks." She murmured, lips still inches from his.

"For what?" He asked, even though they both knew what she was talking about.

She rolled her eyes, pulling back further and arranging herself comfortably in his lap – well, as comfortable as she could get, considering they were still siting in the front seat of the Range Rover. "For not selling me out. Even though it cost you."

"Yeah, two months of one-on-one time with that sad excuse for a Dean of "Discipline"." Seth replied, using air quotes for emphasis. "The only people I've ever seen him discipline is us four. I think I'm going to need serious repayment for this act of chivalry." He raised his eyebrows suggestively.

"Oh, put a sock in it Cohen…" Summer rolled her eyes again as she opened the door and got out.

Seth followed her up the walk to her front door, carrying her purse, "Is it one of your socks?"

"Cohen…" She unlocked the front door and walked up the stairs, Seth re-locking the door behind them before trailing after her.

"You know Summer, I don't think I've ever seen you wear socks. Do you even own a pair?" He set her purse down just inside her bedroom door, turned on her stereo, and sat down on the bed, watching her check her email – he would never read her "private correspondence" over her shoulder, having learned his lesson the first time, when he ended up with a bruised arm and a week-long ban from her bed.

"Yes, of course I do!" She retorted, closing the email webpage.

He moved closer to her, his lips at her ear. "Really? Why don't you tell me about these… socks?"

She spun her chair around and their heads nearly collided. "Oh, for God's sake Cohen, either you have some weird fetish for socks, which – by the way – I have no desire to hear about, or else we're not talking about the same socks."

"Actually, none of the above, from your sock drawer I was going to go to your lingerie drawer and from _there_-"

She held up a hand. "This conversation is now officially _over_! And don't ever say the word 'lingerie' again." She added as an afterthought, getting up from the chair to sit next to him, smoothing out the pink satin as it shifted under her weight.

He put an arm around her, and they lay back together, side by side, staring up at the underside of the canopy of Summer's four-poster bed. Summer couldn't believe how comfortable she felt – it was like her life was finally coming together. Yes, her best friend was in a crisis, but it wasn't like that had never happened before, and Summer's own life was going pretty much perfectly – well, as perfectly as anything went in Newport Beach. The stepmonster had eased up on the pills after an overdose scare during the summer, and was actually turning out to be an okay human being when she wasn't drugged. Her father was finally getting over his dislike of Seth, and while she knew the two of them wouldn't be best friends any time soon, he wasn't openly hostile towards her boyfriend anymore. And her love life…well, that was the most perfect of all. Given Summer's uneasiness with public displays of affection, a stranger could be forgiven for assuming they were merely best friends, but those close to them knew that their relationship couldn't have been stronger.

"Hey Cohen?" She said, turning her face toward him.

"What?" His voice was soft, and she felt his breath caress her lips as he spoke.

"You know you're the only one, right?"

"The only one what?" The arm under her back was tracing circles on her upper arm, while his other hand played with her fingers.

"The only one who's ever slept in my bed with me. Or slept with me in my bed," she added with a giggle and a knowing look.

"I'm the only one who's slept with you anywhere," he retorted, then paused. He frowned. "Really?"

"I thought you knew that," she added.

"Well I didn't _exactly_ know that," he said. "I knew you hadn't…_you know_ before me, but I figured after…" he trailed off, unable to bring up That Summer yet again.

"Zach stayed here once," she conceded. "But I was _so_ freaked out by it that I ended up sleeping downstairs on the couch."

He laughed. "Nice."

"He woke up the next morning and found me in the living room. I felt kind of bad, so I told him I had had a nightmare and didn't want to wake him. I don't think he bought it, but at least I tried."

"So why me?" he asked.

"Why you?" she repeated.

"Why didn't you think twice about having me here when we started dating?"

She shrugged. "When I woke up after that first time…it just felt right."

"Oh," he said.

"I was so nervous that night," she stated.

"Actually it was afternoon." Seth noted, nodding meekly when she glared at him.

"After your speech," she continued, ignoring his comment, "I knew what I wanted, and when you kissed me back I knew I wasn't the second choice. But I was still kinda freaked, and confused as to why you chose Anna when you wanted me." Seth opened his mouth to explain, once again, that it had been Anna who had done the choosing, not him, but she placed a finger over his lips. "I know. We've been through this. And I was nervous coz I knew that you thought I had…experience, and I had very little-"

"Hello, you were my first kiss!" Seth interrupted incredulously, and again Summer continued as if he hadn't spoken.

"-and though it was awful, it was also kinda great too." She smiled shyly at him, unused to exposing so much of herself at once, even to him.

He nodded. "Yeah, it was kind of weird – weird-awkward!" he clarified at her disbelieving look "– but you're right, it was good too. How could it not be, it was my greatest fantasy coming true. It was you and me. After years of daydreaming, it was finally happening."

"Yeah." Summer said concisely, snuggling closer into his warmth.

They stayed like that, merely enjoying one another's warmth and company, until a new, faster song came on the radio and Summer wrinkled her nose.

"Ugh, totally ruined the mood." She hauled herself up and went to put on a CD.

Turning back towards the bed, she saw Seth – now sitting up – looking at her with such reverence and love that she wanted to explain, in detail, every single feeling she had for him, though she knew she would never be able to get the words out.

She crossed the room back to him, and his gaze followed her every step until he had to raise his chin to look up at her as she stood over him. Raising a hand, he pushed a lock of hair away from her face with such gentleness that Summer had to close her eyes against the intensity of the emotions she felt at that moment.

Her thighs spread and her knees bent, and he shifted forward on the bed, accepting her weight against him, raising his hands to her sides, steadying her. Fully clothed, and as nonsexual as anything between them could be. She just sat on his lap and buried her head in his neck, holding him as tightly as she could.

His fingers tangled through her hair to rest against her back and she shuddered, feeling the heat of his hand through the thin fabric of her top. His heart was pounding, and she could feel how shallow his breathing was. "I'm never letting go," she whispered.

He made some kind of half-formed sound, deep in his chest, and clutched her closer to him.

"I love you," she whispered, barely words, more like a breath.

"I know," he murmured.

"I'm sorry I can't say it more, and I'm sorry I fight you, but it scares me. It scares me so much sometimes I think I'm going to die from it." Her voice was raw, the words scraping in her throat as she tried to get them out. "We're seventeen, Seth, and to feel this much for someone at seventeen… the media tells us it's just a teen romance, puppy love, but it's not." His fingers found hers, wrapping around, forming a lock between them. She squeezed back hard and raised her face up from his shoulder. His eyes were clear in the afternoon light streaming in through the windows. "Seth, I love you. I'm in love with you. I -"

"It's okay." A smile stretched his lips. "You don't -"

"I do," she protested. But he was right. Just looking in his eyes was enough. The connection there, the bond between them. She kissed him softly, sweetly, pouring all her love into that one action. When they finally pulled away he could see it in her eyes, see the emotions swirling behind the cloud of chestnut.

She loved him.

_So this is the way I say I need you  
This is the way that I say I love you  
This is the way that I say I'm yours  
This is the way, this is the way_

That I'm  
Learning to breathe  
I'm learning to crawl  
I'm finding that you and you alone can break my fall  
I'm living again, awake and alive  
I'm dying to breathe in these abundant skies (dying to breathe)  
Yes I'm dying to breathe in these abundant skies (dying to breathe)  
These abundant skies, yeah

THE END

Please tell me what you think! I have a real need to show them doing couple-y things, coz so far in the third season they're acting more like friends - apart from the kiss on the cheek in the first ep, when have they shown on-camera affection towards one another, other than holding hands? The dance doesn't count, coz they danced in _The SnO.C._ when they weren't a real couple so... And why is it that every other couple (R/M, S/K, even J/J while it was on)on the show are happily making out everywhere when the only stable couple just hang out together? Or maybe I just answered my own question there...

Suggestions welcome for the new episodes, even though I won't be able to write them for a while coz a) I haven't seen any yet, though I have read the recaps on fox-dot-com and b) I have exams in the next two weeks and would really like to pass. And to the person who requested that these chapters be placed in order, I'll do that when I put up the chap for _The Perfect Storm_, though I don't know when that will be.

HUGE thanks to everyone who reviewed the first three parts: ItalHunni28, screamingxsunflower, adamzhot, Nichi12, Mernie, YellyBelly, RnR2Gether4Eva, Ansy Pansy aka Panz, Caitlyn Rose, I-Believe-In-The-Butterflies, XxkelY23xX, whosahardcore, Wherefore L'armour.

Double thanks to these people, who reviewed twice or even three times: Samantha P., California-dreaming, RA4Evah, kursk, lippy krissy, obsessedrachel2, WritingOnMyWall, adambrody10, Doves30, cdgeiger, June.Louise, friendsqueen216.

Also, Wherefore L'armour, if you're reading, could you email me please, I'd like to ask you something. My email's in my profile.


	4. 304 The Last Waltz

**The Last Waltz**

**By Somebody's Angel**

Summer's eyes discreetly followed Dean Hess as he sauntered in between pairs of dancing seniors, feeling a chill even as Seth's body against hers warmed her from the inside. She turned her head to follow his journey, observing with morbid fascination as Taylor's eyes locked with the older man's as he walked past. Taylor was much less subtle in the way she followed the Dean's movements, but Summer doubted anyone noticed but her. She watched as the man who seemed determined to make Seth and Summer's senior year hell reached the wall, where he turned and examined the room again, his eyes sweeping over Taylor and her dance partner in a seemingly innocent way, yet Summer recognized the gleam in his eyes for what it was – jealousy that Taylor could dance with a pimply eighteen-year-old but not him. The girl herself sighed heavily and glanced once more at the teacher, before turning her attention back to her dancing partner, who had been jabbering at her the whole time her focus had been elsewhere.

Seth exhaled into her ear, and Summer dragged her eyes away from her newest nemesis, though her mind still raced with everything she had recently learned. What should she do? Confront them? Blackmail them without directly letting them know that she knew? Tell Dr Kim? She knew that she had no proof to offer the principal, and while Dean Hess would deny everything, he would be open to blackmail if only to prevent suspicion from falling on him. She knew that she could get Seth out of detention and herself back into the position of social chair – there was no way Taylor would protest. But whatever she decided, she knew she had to tell Seth first, _I can just **see** the look on Cohen's face when he hears about this_.

She pulled him closer with a hand on his neck, wrapping her arms around him properly. He responded by tightening his arms around her hips, thumbing the waistband of the royal blue fabric. She turned her head further away from the pink sweater-clad distraction, touching her cheek to his neck. _So she's got my social chair position and her boyfriend is forcing my boyfriend to clean the school for free, at least I can be with my boyfriend in public_, Summer thought as she breathed in Seth's smell, the unique scent comforting, as always, though almost overpowered by the sweat, smoke and booze that was customary at any Newport event.

He was whispering nonsense in her ear, his warm breath causing a coil of desire to unwind low in her belly. She moved her head up towards his ear, whispering so softly that she almost didn't hear the word, "Cohen." _Taylor's been tormenting me ever since she made me fall for that **stupid** suspension thing…she so deserves some payback._

He pulled back slightly, just enough for their matching chocolate eyes to meet and hold. "Yeah, Jay?"

Summer smiled shyly, the way she always did when he called her by her special nickname. "Wanna help me overcome my dislike of public displays of affection?" She grinned mischievously, _and if I get to make out with my boyfriend while torturing that blonde bitch, all the more fun for me!_

He returned her smirk, and Summer felt his hand moving downwards from her waist, "Of course," he said. "You know, Summer, you only had to ask."

"So I'm asking."

"Fine then."

"All right." They were still whispering, mouths inches apart, breath mingling.

"Say please."

She rolled her eyes, "For God's sake, Cohen–"

He cut her off with his lips, moving his mouth over hers in a way that was so familiar and entirely new all at once. She returned the kiss, feeling Taylor's heated glare on her back and knowing that the blonde was insanely jealous – not only did Summer not have to hide away while making out with her boyfriend; she knew that Seth felt as much for her as she did for him, if not more. Though she had initiated the kiss, Summer was having a hard time forgetting about where they were and the fact that they were surrounded by people.

Seth's tongue traced gently along her bottom lip, requesting entrance to her mouth. While she rarely obliged him when in public, the waves of hate emanating from Taylor, combined with the arousal of his body so close against hers had her accommodating him. The second his tongue entered her mouth the crowd dissolved and it was just them, in one of their bedrooms, doing what they had done a million times before. Their kisses never decreased in intensity, no matter how many times they repeated the action, every time was just as exciting as the last…especially over the past couple of months, when she didn't know where they'd end up when their lips parted.

When he let her catch her breath again, she really wanted to pretend he wasn't an absolutely fabulous kisser. Sure he had pretty much sucked at it when they first got together in sophomore year, but he was an extremely fast learner – she supposed Alex had taught him a thing or two as well, though it caused her much pain to admit it, and his varied experience had served to please her better. She sighed and rested her head on his chest, closing her eyes. He kissed her lightly on the forehead. "Don't get too comfy."

"Why not?" She lifted her head to look at him, but his eyes were focused over her shoulder. Turning her head around as far as it would go, she saw Dean Hess bearing down on them like a steam train.

"Yeah." Seth commented, pulling her infinitesimally closer. "I don't think people are allowed to make out on the dancefloor."

Summer glanced around quickly, seeing at least three other couples kissing just as she and Seth had been a moment ago, "No, he just hates us."

Without another word spoken they broke apart and simultaneously moved off the dancefloor. They weren't touching, simply moving in sync, and Summer didn't need to turn her head to know that Seth was following behind her – she could feel his presence. Summer's experience at weaving through crowds of people allowed them to outrun the Dean, who was still fighting his way through the throng of students Seth and Summer reached the wall.

Placing their backs on the wall, they stood side-by-side and watched their adversary struggle through pairs of dancing and kissing seniors. Summer searched for Seth, finding his hand moving towards hers. They threaded their fingers together, unconsciously moving a little closer together as they did so.

Summer thought back to yesterday afternoon, when she'd gone to his house after school and he had questioned why she wasn't at the Social Committee meeting.

…FLASHBACK…

"Hey Summer," Ryan said distractedly as he opened the front door, apparently on his way out.

Seth appeared on the stairs, confusion evident on his face, "Summer? What are you doing here?"

Ryan shut the door behind him, and a moment later their eyes were drawn to the door as they heard the roar of the engine as he started the Range Rover.

Summer turned back to her boyfriend, "Coop?"

He nodded, "Probably."

Descending the rest of the stairs he followed her into the kitchen, leaning against the counter as he watched her play her fingers nervously along the back of one of the bar stools. "So what's up? I thought you had a meeting this afternoon." He tried to keep the suspicion out of his voice; he knew that Summer had been keeping something from him for most of the day. She had been acting differently since the end of second period, when he had seen her and Taylor talking in the hallway, and he had seen right through her thinly veiled excuse about child pornography, subtly letting her know by correcting her when she mistakenly claimed DrBootyopolis was male. She had been quiet the rest of the day, not exactly avoiding him, but not waiting for him at her locker like she usually did when their schedules coincided.

Summer suddenly found herself ashamed at what she had done. Not only had she been manipulated by Taylor, but she had gone directly against his request to "leave the toilets to me". _Some respect I have for my boyfriend, doing the exact opposite of what he asks of me_. Yes, she had been trying to prevent him from an unfair suspension, but when she had later thought about it, she very much doubted that even Dean Hess would have been able to pull the harsh punishment, given Seth's previously spotless record. She pulled out the stool she had been standing behind, and lowered herself into it, sighing heavily.

Seth had been content to wait as quietly as he could while Summer found the words to tell him what she had been hiding. He knew she had trouble expressing her feelings phonetically, and didn't want to attempt to pry it out of her, knowing from experience that forcing her only brought about two scenarios – a rage blackout or the silent treatment – and neither would help him learn the truth. However, when she didn't even attempt to speak after many long minutes, Seth raised his gaze from the benchtop to the brunette standing before him, and when she sat down he knew it was something huge.

"Summer?" He questioned softly, moving towards her and lifting her head to look at him.

The second Seth touched her she felt her eyes prick with tears, and Seth's concerned expression only grew more worried when their eyes met and he saw her watery eyes.

"Hey…it's ok." He moved to take her into his arms, but she resisted, knowing that she'd never get it out if she didn't tell him soon.

It took every ounce of self-control not to let her tears fall, and she wondered why she was crying in the first place, _it's not like the world's gonna end or anything_. "I'm sorry, Seth." She began, and his face instantly grew serious, knowing that it had to be really serious for her to call him by his first name.

"What is it, Jay?" He asked, taking her hands in his. "You know you can tell me anything." He read in her expression that she expected him to be mad, so added, "I promise I won't be mad."

"You know how Dean Hess has been pushing for you to tell him who your partner was?" She didn't need to elaborate, for they both knew what she was referring to.

Seth's face fell, "You told him it was you." She didn't have to nod, the guilty look on her face told him everything he needed to know. "Why? The first really courageous thing I've done in my entire life, and you have to go and sell me out. I bet you told him you did all the work, too."

While she couldn't help but notice how well they knew one another, _and this time I didn't do all the work either, even though I told the Dean that I did_, Summer felt awful for what she had done, and had to explain quickly. "He was going to suspend you!" She cut through his ramblings with the simple phrase, and it worked perfectly to shut him up. "Or at least I thought he was." Seth now adequately silent and confused, it was Summer's turn to ramble, "Taylor told me the Dean was going to suspend you if you didn't tell him who your accomplice was by the end of the day. I freaked and told him, only to find that it was all part of that bitch's diabolical plan to be Social Chair. Dean Hess told me that he could hardly allow me to continue as Social Chair with the theft on my record, and it was only then that I figured it out. I'm so stupid!" Her grip on Seth's hands tightened as she grew angrier, at herself, at Taylor and at Dean Hess. "I can't believe I fell for it so easily. And how could I have even _thought_ about trusting her after she staged the thing at the kickoff carnival? She made me fall for her stupid sob story about having no friends, and I thought she was actually a nice person, but she's just a stupid skank! And she obviously has the Dean wrapped around her little finger somehow…he seemed really pleased to take away the only school job I've ever cared about…I really thought…this year…" her words were becoming less and less coherent and the tears she had been so desperately trying to hold in had finally escaped, creating wet trails down her cheeks.

Seth's irritation had instantly dissolved when he saw how upset Summer was, and he did his best to comfort her, wrapping his arms around her once she had finished speaking and whispering consoling phrases into her ear as he held her.

…END FLASHBACK…

Summer smiled as she remembered how Seth had known the exact words with which to comfort her best. From reassurance about her intelligence to a promise that he wasn't mad at her, his soothing voice in her ear had served to rapidly calm her down.

She felt Seth's head move towards hers before she heard his voice low in her ear, "Wanna stay here and make out some more?"

She snorted, but shifted closer to him, checking on the progress of Dean Hess – he had apparently been called to another matter, for she couldn't locate him anywhere in her field of vision. Satisfied that they weren't going to get into trouble, she turned her face towards him, under the pretence that he wouldn't be able to hear her reply over the loud music, "It was kinda nice."

"_Kinda_ nice?"

She looked up, laughed at his outraged expression, then disengaged their hands and headed for the refreshment table. Her high heels were a detriment to her speed, however – during the summer they'd discovered that despite his much longer legs she could almost always outrun him – because he'd caught up to her before she'd gone five feet. He grabbed her by the arm, spun her around and into him, and gave her a kiss of the kind that steamed up car windows. Her arms came up to encircle his neck automatically, all thoughts of escaping gone from her mind.

When he let her go, she stumbled backwards, but he didn't let her fall, catching her hands as she tilted backwards. "Kinda nice," he muttered good-naturedly. "I'll show _you_ kinda nice, Summer Roberts."

Summer took a moment to reply; she was too busy remembering to breathe. "Consider me shown, Cohen," she said finally.

THE END

So I decided to make this into a little series about the cute S/S moments in S3, though they won't all be as long as the first one…hopefully the break will allow me to get up parts for the other two episodes. Tell me what you think! Would also love suggestions for an S/S scene that you think needs expanding – I can't promise I'll do them all, but I will eventually do one for every S3 episode.

And yes I _promise_ I'm working on the next chapter of _Seceding Link_ – have 8 pages of longhand that I have to type up, edit and finish before I can post it – with luck I'll be able to do so before end of semester exams in November.

I'm overwhelmed at the response I receive for every one of my OC fics -I really appreciate the feedback guys! Thanks to cdgeiger, Ansy Pansy aka Panz, June.Louise, Doves30, Caitlyn Rose, I-Believe-In-The-Butterflies, XxkelY23xX, adambrody10, WritingOnMyWall (I took you up on the lil challenge!), kursk, whosahardcore and friendsqueen216 for your great feedback.


	5. 305 The Perfect Storm

**The Perfect Storm**

**By Somebody's Angel**

"Well, maybe a little." Summer shot Seth a look, which he ignored as he continued, "But, it's completely understandable." he admitted.

"Well I'm glad something around here is." Marissa retorted, throwing down her napkin and storming away. Ryan shot a look at Seth before excusing himself to follow her into the house.

Seth looked down at his plate, wishing that Marissa hadn't made such a big deal out of Ryan leaving – it meant he couldn't do the same without seeming like he was copying her. A buzzing sound to his left caught his attention and he looked at his girlfriend, "Summer, your purse is buzzing."

She rummaged through it; extracting the pink-sparkled Sidekick that Seth was beginning to associate with the OC's "Den of Sin". She raised an eyebrow at him after reading the message, "Taylor took the bait."

Seth was surprised – he really hadn't expected his plan to work. "Really?"

Summer nodded, eyes shining in excitement. "C'mon," she said, taking his hand and getting to her feet. "Thanks for dinner Mrs Cohen, Mr Cohen."

Sandy smiled and winked at his son as Seth was dragged away by the tiny brunette. Kirsten opened her mouth to say something but Sandy squeezed her thigh, "Let them be, baby."

Summer led Seth to his room, shutting the door behind them and then wrapping her arms around his waist. She was glad he had finally come around to at least partially believe her claim about the Dean and Taylor. As enthused as she had been to tell him, she had never even contemplated that he would be sceptical as to the truth. And though his proclamations had been correct – yes it _had_ been a dark hallway and she _had_ been on the verge of a rage blackout – she knew that there was no way she had been seeing things. "Thanks."

He grinned, "You're welcome. Although I'm still not entirely sure how well this plan is going to work. Even if she does admit to it, how is that going to help us get Ryan back into school? It's not like anyone would believe us, everyone knows how much you hate her." Seth continued to ramble, but Summer tuned out the actual words in favor of staring at the movements of his facial muscles as he spoke.

She couldn't believe how eagerly he had concocted a scheme that he still didn't believe would work. He had done it for her – knowing she wouldn't give up until he either helped her or disproved her allegation – and she loved him all the more for it. Ever since they had composed the message his enthusiasm had been increasing, and along with it his belief in her vision. Seth's touch at her waist, his thumb tracing along the band of skin exposed between her skirt and top, turned her thoughts away from their scheme and towards the lack of alone time they'd had lately. Seth's mother was always home nowadays, and with Marissa staying at Summer's they were unable to find much uninterrupted time alone.

She focused her eyes on his lips, watching them form words that she was once again hearing. "…Dean Hess won't be threatened by us, even if Taylor herself tells him that we know. We need some hard-" he was cut off as Summer pressed herself closer to him, her lips latching onto his, and her tongue slipping into his mouth when the opportunity presented itself. She put all of her pent-up passion in the kiss, her eyes closing shut before she could think to leave them open. This was what she had been missing over the past few weeks, and she could tell from his enthusiastic response that he wanted it just as much, if not more, than she did. With a teasing grin she moved away from him, pulling at his bottom lip gently in her teeth as she did so.

"You done talking about Taylor Townsend, Cohen?" she asked innocently, thoroughly enjoying the dazed look on his face.

"Hm? Oh sorry. I got distracted by the contemplation of the quickest way to get you out of your clothes." He replied after a beat, fingers dipping below the waistband of her skirt. "I'm thinking scissors," he finished with a solemn nod.

"You better not be, Cohen. This is the only shirt I have here," she warned, though she was laughing as she attempted to be threatening.

"You can borrow one of mine," he said with a shrug, actually making a point to look around his room for scissors.

"I've seen your shirts. I think I'll pass," she teased, looking pointedly at the polo he was wearing.

"I'll have you know I've got some perfectly clean novelty shirts around here somewhere," he claimed, feigning offence at her slight of his wardrobe.

She shrugged, "I have no doubt you do. But maybe I want the one you're wearing." Her voice dropped an octave and she fingered the hem of the navy tee as she kissed him again.

Seth grinned as he broke the kiss; "I have no complaints if you want to take my shirt."

"Good." Summer had successfully manoeuvred them fully into the room, and now she pushed Seth back onto his bed. She followed him down, and pulled his t-shirt over his head before pulling back to stand in front of him. For once he didn't reach for her, instead sitting and watching in awe as she slowly pull her skirt and top up over her head, letting them hang by one finger for a moment before she dropped it to the floor, beaming at the look of wonder on Seth's face. It astounded her that no matter how many times he was her naked or near-naked body, Seth still looked at her as if he was seeing her for the first time.

"My God, you're gorgeous Jay." Seth breathed, causing Summer's grin to grow even wider as she launched herself at him, kissing him with all the emotion he made her feel just by gazing at her.

Later they lay curled together in the centre of the bed, Seth lightly stroking the skin of her stomach with one hand as she played with the fingers of his free hand. Summer was sure that she had never felt anything quite like that in all her life. It was like they had managed to steal a little slice of heaven and surround themselves with it. The connection that they shared was unlike anything she had ever felt before; it surpassed everything she had with Marissa, or even her father.

Seth was wondering how he had managed to survive seven years of admiring her from afar, how he could have ever even contemplated living his whole life without the feelings surging through him at that moment. Contentment, admiration, lust, love and a million other emotions ran through his body as he buried his face in Summer's shoulder and breathed in her aroma – a combination of her strawberry body wash, perfume, skin cream, and her own unique scent underneath it all.

They lay that way for what seemed like days. Both happy just to be close to one another for the first time in way too long. After awhile Summer sighed, Seth feeling the movement against his body before he heard her exhalation. He stroked the hair away from her face and placed a tender kiss upon her forehead. "I love you," he whispered, his usual volume stolen by the intensity of the moment.

The simple words caused her to turn in his embrace to stare deeply into his liquid brown eyes. "Seth," was all she could manage to get out of her emotion-clogged throat. Tears threatened to spill down her face. No one had ever made her feel like this before; so cared for, so cherished, so loved.

Seth sensed Summer's fragile emotional state instantly, and pulled her closer for a gentle kiss. His evil hands, wanting to see her smile again, dove in and started to tickle her sides. Summer immediately jerked and laughed, trying to evade his fingers. Laughing till she couldn't catch her breath, Summer finally pinned Seth's hands to his sides.

"Thanks, Cohen. I needed that," she said with a smile, pushing gently at his shoulder until he turned, presenting his bare back to her. She placed a light kiss on each of his shoulders and the back of his neck as she curled herself around him, spooning into the contours of his body. For Seth, who loved sleeping in the fetal position, and Summer, who gravitated towards warm bodies in bed with her, her spooning him worked better than the traditional spooning position – though Ryan and Marissa had laughed at them the first time they caught the brunette couple sleeping this way.

As always, Seth murmured declarations of love once more as they slipped into the throes of dreamland, though Summer often wondered if he knew she stayed awake until he spoke the words.

* * *

Early morning – time to ponder your life and how extremely good it is. Time to think happy thoughts. Time to roll over and smile down at your girlfriend and say, "Morning." 

"Fuck you, Cohen." Summer turned away from him and Seth grinned, trying to stretch his back and take in the look and feel of a very naked and very gorgeous Summer Roberts on the bed beside him at the same time. "Just 'cause you're a morning person-"

He placed a single finger over her lips before she could let loose any more profanities, "Hey, go back to sleep. No rush."

"Like it when you here too." She was still half-asleep, and her inflexion made Seth grin – she sounded like a three-year-old.

"I'm not going anywhere." He felt the kinks in his back give and grinned, curling slightly against Summer's smooth back, levering himself up on one arm to trace the line of her shoulder.

She was now more awake, and as a consequence the words that had been cute before were now laced with anger that he had woken her up so early. "Watching me sleep is not the same thing as sleeping yourself."

"You complain a lot."

"Uh-huh, and I give good head, so screw being picky." Summer rolled over, lithely twisting the sheets from out under her and throwing them over both of them. A hand slid down her abdomen, and then the dark head quickly followed, against her shoulder. "Go to sleep. We've got a long day."

"We really need our energy to laze around the pool."

"Yeah, and we're taking down a certain blonde bitch, too." A hand brushed across his jaw, over his mouth, and he felt Summer smile against his cheek. "Go to sleep, Cohen."

Seth grinned, threading his fingers through Summer's long chestnut hair as he closed his eyes. He was glad his mother had done away with the 'no sleepovers' rule when she came back from rehab – apparently as seniors Seth and Ryan were trustworthy enough to ensure they protected themselves against any "mishaps", as Kirsten had called it, although she still demanded to know where they were if out past curfew. Seth felt his mother had not yet gotten over both boys leaving at the end of sophomore year, and blamed that spontaneous decision for the fact that she enquired as to their intentions every time either boy left the house.

The next time Summer awoke it was a reasonable hour for a teenager to be up on a Saturday morning – 10am – though she found herself hugging Seth's pillow to her body, the boy himself apparently having evaded her clutches.

Not in the mood to wear her own clothes just yet, Summer snagged a pair of clean boxers from Seth's dresser, and rummaged through the mess of clothes and bedcovers around the bed until she found Seth's t-shirt from yesterday – despite her teasing proclamations last night, she loved wearing his shirts.

She found Seth sitting at the kitchen table reading the newspaper – the _Arts and Leisure_ section, of course – and eating a bowl of Froot Loops. Why he only ate cereals with cartoon characters on their boxes, she'd never understand. Taking an apple from the bowl on the counter, Summer rinsed it off in the sink and joined him at the table. "So what's the plan for today?" she asked as she nudged Seth with her hip to get him to scoot over on his chair so she could sit on one half of it.

He obediently scooted, but eyed her irritably as she started reading the paper he had laid out in front of him. The seven other chairs around the table were perfectly fine, and unoccupied. "Do you not see me sitting here?"

Summer replied by taking a big bite of her apple, which caused Seth to squint when the juices and tiny bits of fruit squirted out onto the side of his face.

"Sorry," Summer apologized, and provocatively used her tongue to clean him up. "So what's the plan?" she asked again as she took a sip of the coffee sitting in front of Seth's bowl and turned the page of the newspaper.

"Huh?" Seth asked in a bit of a daze, Summer's tongue having caused him to forget that one of his butt cheeks was hanging off the chair.

"What's the plan for today? What time is the meet with Taylor?" Summer clarified, stealing a single Froot Loop.

"Oh. Uh, three," Seth snapped back to reality, annoyed with himself for letting Summer lick her way out of trouble like that. "So we should be there at least half an hour before that, just in case she comes early. Other than taking down the Dean and Miss Townsend, nothing else on the agenda for today."

Though Summer shot him a look at his use of 'Miss Townsend', they sat in silence reading the newspaper until Summer finished her apple. When she got up to throw the core in the trash Seth immediately reclaimed his chair. But it didn't deter his girlfriend, who simply swung a leg over to straddle him, sitting on his lap face to face with him. She smiled seductively at him as she draped her arms over his shoulders. "Know what I'm thinking?"

"That you'll let me read the newspaper in peace?" he retorted, moving his arms around to the front of her to eat the last spoonful of his cereal.

She glared at him. "Try again."

He glanced down at the shorts on her. "That you'll stop wearing my boxers so I don't run out of them so fast?"

Summer scoffed. "Well now I'm thinking that I'm going home." She attempted to get up, but Seth grabbed her by the waist to pull her back down.

"Okay, okay," He chuckled, cradling her in his arms.

"I'm not in the mood anymore," Summer smirked, though fingers entwining in the curls at the nape of his neck told him otherwise.

"Like you would have wanted to do it now anyway, with my parents and Ryan awake." Seth retorted with a knowing look, only to have the look wiped off his face when Summer smacked him on the shoulder.

"Aw, poor baby." She said mockingly when she saw the hurt look on his face. Taking his face in her hands she kissed him gently, "I'm glad you're not going away on a fishing boat."

"Me too." He replied simply, kissing her nose. "And I'm glad you're at school with me."

She hugged him tightly, wrapping her arms around his upper body, her cheek against his. He encircled her small frame, tight at first then loosening a little to kiss her. Summer couldn't stop a silly grin from spreading across her face and Seth thought that he'd never been so happy in his life, despite the fact that his brother was leaving on a boat for who knows how long.

Outside, Kirsten almost bumped into Sandy as he stood on the steps leading down to the kitchen, "What are you looking at?"

"Seth and Summer. Just look how happy she is." He indicated the teenagers inside with the mug in his hand.

"I don't think she's the only one smiling," Kirsten said.

Sandy nodded, placing the plates and cups on the retaining wall next to him. "I've never seen two people so obviously and honestly in love with each other."

"Except us, maybe…"

"Yeah, of course, except us." Sandy laughed, turning to face his bride.

"I'm just really happy for both of them. Seth had a hard time getting her to admit her feelings."

"I'm really proud of him."

"Me too."

Sandy stepped behind Kirsten, and embraced her from behind as they watched the younger couple in the kitchen.

THE END

So here's the fifth instalment, hope you liked it. Have a severe lack of ideas for _The Swells_, so am working on the chap for _The Anger Management_ while I wait for you guys to give me some ideas for 3.06. Apparently we're not allowed to respond to individual reviews in our chapters any more, but if you review when you're signed in, I promise I'll try to respond to everyone eventually.


	6. 306 The Swells

**The Swells**

**By Somebody's Angel**

"At least there'll be more beef stew for everyone." Kirsten commented as Seth approached his girlfriend.

He placed an arm around Summer's shoulders and pressed his lips to the side of her head in greeting, before gently steering her towards the living room.

She was surprised to see a game of solitaire laid out of the coffee table, and raised an eyebrow at Seth in question. He shrugged, "New house rules. No video games til after dinner once we've been summoned."

Summer nodded, understanding. Many house rules had been amended or added since Kirsten had returned from rehab, and she thought that this one was quite fair.

They sat down on the couch and Seth examined his game. Seconds later Kirsten's voice was heard and he sighed – why couldn't she have spoken to him thirty seconds ago when he was in the kitchen? "Yes mom, I'll be there in a second." He stood, "Don't you dare touch that Summer."

"But I told you the black eight needs to go over here to the red nine." She replied, pointing for emphasis.

"Just leave it alone."

"Ok…You know Cohen; you look like you're getting awfully comfortable behind that counter. Maybe you've been hanging out with your mom too much lately."

He turned away and Summer's hand reached out to the cards lying on the table. Without looking back at her he lightly slapped her knuckles and said, "I don't have a life Summer."

"That's painfully obvious there Cohen," she replied as she shook her hand in the air. As Seth walked toward the kitchen, she quickly rearranged the cards to her liking, then sat back on the couch, satisfied with a job well done.

He returned a few minutes later, took one look at the cards and scowled at his girlfriend's self-satisfied smirk. "I would have done that eventually, Jay." He said, kneeling in front of the table in an attempt to concentrate on his game and ignore her.

Summer simply stared at the back of his head; confident he wouldn't be able to ignore her for long. But one minute ticked over to two, and then three, and Seth was still totally focused on his cards.

Pouting, she lifted a foot and kicked him none-too-gently, causing him to lose his balance and fall forward, messing up his game.

"What was that for?" Seth exclaimed, rubbing his back, "God Summer, you made me mess up."

"You were ignoring me. Jeez, you invite me to your house and then spend all your time staring at a dumb card game."

"I didn't invite you, you invited yourself." He retorted, but nevertheless abandoned his game to join her on the couch, only to find that she was moving to sit on the floor.

When he threw her a questioning look she merely shrugged, "We always sit on the couch, I feel like doing something different." As she spoke she tugged a little too hard on Seth's hand, causing him to join her on the floor rather sooner than she had intended.

"So do you really like beef stew?" He asked, leaving his head where it had landed on Summer's stomach.

"Hey!" Summer jumped, "Get offa me!" He laughed and remained where he was.

Summer got Seth in a headlock but he knew exactly how to throw her off and he ended up straddling her, his face close to hers. Kirsten laughed from the doorway, but neither teen heard her. It had been a long time since she'd seen her son play like a little kid. Seth had been good for Summer, also; the blonde had seen the changes in the her as her time with Seth had made her less like a generic Newport teen socialite and more like an individual.

"Jeez, you are wiry!" Summer laughed, looking into Seth's eyes.

Seth still had her pinned and he couldn't help himself. He leaned down and his mouth met hers. His urgency caught her by surprise as he hungrily sought entrance to her mouth. Their lips parted and Seth held a limp Summer by her arms up above her head. She had completely surrendered, not having ever expected him to take such control.

"Uh, guys?" Kirsten interrupted, clearing her throat for the third time. "Dinner?"

Seth and Summer looked up in surprise, not knowing that she was standing there. He rolled off his girlfriend, smiling. "Oh, yeah. Food." He snickered, his arm still tangled with Summer's as they made their way to the table.

"There is no way in _hell _I'm watching anything with that Scarlett Johnson chick in it." Seth exclaimed, snatching the _In Good Company _DVD from her fingertips.

"First of all, it's Scarlett _Johansson_, and secondly, why should I be subjected to some shoot 'em up crap where the hot guys all get killed in the first minute?" Summer retorted, making a grab for the case, though Seth held it over his head and consequently she failed in claiming it back.

"_Die Hard_ is a classic!"

Ryan watched in amusement as Kirsten, Sandy, Seth and Summer continued to argue over which movie they wanted to watch. He had attempted to get out of the family movie night, knowing that he would be lonely without Marissa, but Kirsten's firm "no" halted all thoughts of protest. He did his manly duty in rejecting the romantic comedies the girls kept suggesting, but didn't really argue too passionately.

Suddenly both Seth and Sandy acquiesced to _Fever Pitch_, and Ryan had to laugh at the expressions on their faces…that is until Summer and Kirsten turned their glares on him.

However the moment the fierce stares were directed elsewhere Seth and Sandy resumed searching through the Cohens' extensive collection of movies. Ryan, still imprisoned by twin pairs of eyes, one blue, one brown, was just about to concede defeat when Seth let out a triumphant, "Ahah!"

Immediately all eyes were on him, holding a DVD in the air like it was an award he had just won. The only explanation he gave was, "_Wedding Crashers_."

Sandy and Ryan looked at one another, raised their eyebrows, and nodded. Similarly, Summer and Kirsten glanced at each other before looking back at Seth and nodding. Insanely pleased that everyone had agreed to his choice of movie, Seth's grin grew even wider and he placed the disc in the player as everyone else arranged themselves comfortably.

When he turned back to face his family – indeed he included Summer in his family – he couldn't help but sigh at how complete he felt at that moment. His mother was back where she belonged – though Seth was still unconvinced that she 'belonged' in the kitchen – his father was now controlling the Newport Group and Newport would no doubt be better off for it; his brother was back at Harbor and Dean Hess was no longer terrorising any of them. And Summer…Summer was unquestionably the best part of his life. In his wildest dreams Seth had never imagined them being this happy this soon – he had always envisioned that it would be senior year before she noticed him, let alone loved him. Now she sat on the couch and looked back at him with such love in her eyes that he felt his heart beat just that little bit faster, as if to pump love through his veins as it did blood.

He sat in the space beside his girlfriend, leaning forward to speak to Ryan, who was sitting on the floor in leaning on the couch. "Hey you can sit up here if you want dude, there's plenty of room."

Ryan glanced at Kirsten and Sandy, sharing the armchair – which Seth had yet to comment on – and craned his head back to look up at Seth, sitting with Summer slumped against him. "Nah, man, I'm fine on the floor."

During the movie Sandy found his attention wandering away from the movie and towards his son and his girlfriend. Her hand lay on his thigh, rubbing absentmindedly – not intending to turn him on, merely as a subtle sign of affection. His arm was around her shoulders, holding her against him as they watched. Seth leaned in close to Summer's ear and whispered something to her. She giggled softly and nodded, then whispered something back to him. He smiled at her, then took a sip of their shared Mountain Dew.

In a period of silence they tilted their heads together, the identical movements emphasising their closeness. Ryan said something about the movie and everyone laughed, Seth bringing the other arm up to hug her around the shoulders, Summer laying her head on his arm and hugging him back.

Later, watching the ending credits of the movie, Summer's sleepy voice was heard for the first time since the opening scenes. "That was really good." Her eyes were closed and she was resting against Seth's chest.

Seth snorted. "How would you know? You didn't see most of it."

She giggled. "He gets the girl at the end, right?"

"Well, yeah." He replied curiously.

"Then I saw all I needed to." She was completely relaxed, slumping further against him and turning her head to bury into his shoulder.

"Are you going to fall asleep on me?" Sandy, Kirsten and Ryan watched in amusement as Seth had a conversation with his girlfriend who, for all intents and purposes, looked fast asleep.

"Mmm, I would have already if you'd stop talking." Summer quipped.

"Summer, my arm's falling asleep." Seth whined.

"Well, maybe the rest of you would too if you'd give it a chance." She didn't want to move because she'd just have to get relaxed all over again.

Seth nudged her. "C'mon, get up, the movie's over."

"You're the one that wanted to stay out here. I was all ready to go to sleep earlier." She was thoroughly enjoying teasing him, and finally opened her eyes to see him staring down at her with love in his eyes and a smile on his lips.

"Summer, I'm tired."

"So am I." Summer chuckled, closing her eyes again – apparently his attempt to make her feel sorry for him had failed.

"You asked for it." Seth decided that the only way to get off the couch was to pick her up.

Summer yelped as Seth scooped her up in his arms and carted her off towards his bedroom, waving goodnight to his parents as they walked.

* * *

"I was comfy," Summer whined as he deposited her onto his bed. 

He chuckled as he stood there looking at her. "Well, my arm was falling asleep." He rotated his arm as the circulation finally returned.

Summer climbed under the covers and looked up at Seth. "What are you doing?"

He smirked as he flexed his hand. "Checking for feeling."

She smirked back. "I'm sure you'll be fine."

"What do you want to do tomorrow?" Seth grinned at her, ignoring the seductive look she was giving him and remaining standing.

She shrugged, "Probably hang with Coop. She wants me to go with her to the surf party thing the Union kids are throwing."

He nodded seriously and climbed into the other side of his bed, making himself comfy and closing his eyes.

Summer feigned a pout. "Aren't you going to kiss me goodnight?"

"Let me think about that for a moment." Seth opened his eyes and grinned.

Summer grabbed a pillow and threw it at him. "You've done enough thinking."

Seth took the pillow from where it landed on the floor next to the bed and whacked her with it.

Summer yelped and grabbed the other pillow on the bed, trying to retaliate. Her aim was a bit off and most of her swings served more to put her off balance than to connect with Seth.

His on the other hand, connected every time.

"Truce." Summer squealed hiding under her pillow as she lay back on the bed, Seth kneeling beside her.

"Truce, huh? You were the one who started it." Seth teased, raising his pillow above his head threateningly.

"But you're winning." She giggled as Seth abandoned the pillow and started to tickle her.

"Well, you should remember that the next time you throw a pillow at me." Seth chided in amusement.

Summer feigned innocence. "All I wanted was a goodnight kiss." She couldn't stop giggling.

Seth raised an eyebrow and tried to keep from laughing. "Ah, a kiss, huh?" He stopped tickling her and grabbed the pillow she was hiding under, tossing it to the side.

Summer nodded, trying not to smile.

He pinned her to the bed with his body and leaned down and kissed her softly.

Summer snaked her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss, smiling against his mouth. She had hardly seen him these past couple of days, what with Marissa's new friends and Ryan back at Harbor. Much as she loved the fact that Dean Hess was no longer terrorising them, she had kind of liked it when it was just her and Seth against the school – it gave them much more time alone together, if trading secret glances and touches during class and makeout sessions during their shared lunchbreak counted as 'alone time'. And now that Taylor was no longer plotting against them, it seemed she counted herself as a friend, and was 'coincidentally' showing up whenever Ryan gave them some space.

They traded soft exploratory kisses for quite a while, neither one of them really wanting to stop, but finally pulling apart somewhat breathless.

"Goodnight," Seth breathed, lips still millimetres from hers.

"Mmm, _very_ good night." Summer agreed, wiggling out from under him to spoon into his back.

"Love you, Jay." Seth murmured as he slipped into the throes of dreamland, and Summer grinned, thrilled at the way his half-asleep declarations made her feel, _love you too, Cohen._

THE END

Wow you guys are lucky - two updates in less than a week! If you give me lots of early Xmas pressies (ie reviews), you might even get a third chapter before Saturday. Suggestions for the new episodes are always welcome - a bit stumped about the Chrismukkah ep, coz there weren't really any standout SS moments. And I know that Summer apparently "waited up til like a million o'clock" for Marissa, but it just didn't work with the fic.

As for the Seceding Link fans, I have started writing the next chapter, and here's a spoiler: they're _not_ both pregnant. If you don't know who 'they' are, then you've obviously not read it, so I suggest you do. How sad is that, I'm plugging my own story. Hopefully chap will be completed and posted by the end of January,and again, the more presents I get, the faster I write...


	7. 307 The Anger Management

**The Anger Management**

**By Somebody's Angel**

"She's just…really lonely." The look in Seth's eyes pleaded for Summer to believe him, and she could also see the complete honesty and all the love he felt for her.

"Well she doesn't make it easy to be nice to." She commented, simply to see if he would agree with her or defend Taylor.

He didn't hesitate in answering, "I know." The look in his eyes didn't change, and she felt a thrill run through her as she realised her insecurities had been unfounded.

She smiled slightly, just enough to let him know she was close to forgiving him, and sighed. "Just don't ever lie to me again," she warned, and the seriousness in her eyes made it unnecessary to complete the threat.

"I won't, I swear." He was slightly more relaxed now, pleading gone from his chocolate orbs, and sincerity in its place. Summer could see that he would try really hard to keep this promise.

Her half-smile was now a full-on grin, and a similar one was growing on his face. "How bad do you want to go home right now and watch that movie?" Technically it was a rhetorical question – she could see the answer in his body language, the way he was shifting from one foot to the other, and how he had glanced at his mother three times during their short conversation, obviously attempting to gauge whether she would be upset if he left sooner – but he answered it anyway.

"So bad it may actually kill me."

She glanced at the DVD he was continually twisting in his fingers, then back up to his eyes, which were now hesitantly hopeful. "C'mon." Summer turned around and fought her way through the crowd, pausing momentarily at the door to wait for him to catch up – though she never actually turned around to track his progress.

Seth tentatively touched her hand as they exited, obviously still unsure if he was completely forgiven. She linked her fingers through his without hesitation, pulling their newly clasped hands up to place a light kiss on his knuckles.

"I'll drive," Summer said as they walked towards her BMW.

"You always get to drive!" Seth whined, making a half-hearted attempt to take her purse from her shoulder.

She merely nodded, tracing playful fingers up his outstretched arm, "Yup." When her hand reached his shoulder she pulled him to her for a light kiss.

As they continued on their way to Summer's car, neither noticed the blonde figure watching them from the shadows, jealousy etched on her face.

* * *

Summer collapsed on the couch in the living room of the Cohen house, and watched Seth walk toward her after putting in the DVD, loving the way he looked all dressed up, even though she knew he hated wearing a suit. He noticed her checking him out, and cracked the half-grin that she loved so much.

Finally he came within touching range, and she immediately reached up to pull him down to her. He straddled her legs, careful not to crush her, or mess up her dress too much – both of which were equally as abhorrent in her book – and placed the lightest whisper of a kiss on her lips before burying his face in her hair.

A tad confused as to why he was sitting on her lap instead of the other way around, Summer was about to push him off her when she heard his voice. He was mumbling and rambling, as he tended to do when apologising or reassuring her, and she had to strain to make out the words.

"…sorry I didn't tell you it was her, I just didn't know what she wanted, and I didn't want to freak you out before I understood her motives. I have no romantic interest in her whatsoever, but I would like to be her friend…that is if it's ok with you. I know you hate her and everything, but I don't think she'd really that bad a person once you get to know her, she's just a little uptight, and I'd really like it if you were ok with us becoming friends, but-"

A smile had been growing on her face during the entirety of his ramble, and she finally cut him off by pulling his head away from her neck and placing a finger to his lips. "Cohen. It's alright." He was looking at her imploringly, so she attempted to find the words to placate him, "You can…Taylor and me…" They didn't sound right, so instead she decided to show him what she couldn't verbalise, kissing him soundly on the lips.

Knowing the trouble she had articulating her feelings, Seth responded with just as much passion as she, eager to dispel any worries she might have about his feelings for her. He couldn't believe he'd allowed Taylor to cause a rift between them, and he was scared at how easily it had happened – obviously they weren't as stable as he had thought. Grasping the back of her head in his palm, he deepened the kiss and simultaneously lowered her onto the couch cushions.

Fears thoroughly dismissed and oxygen sufficiently depleted, Summer finally pulled out of the kiss and grinned at him. "What about the movie, Cohen?" She asked, tangling her fingers in his curls and pulling him closer to her even as she waited for his answer.

"We can watch it later." He breathed, a millisecond before he connected their lips again.

She smiled into his kiss, pleased that she was able to make him forget about the movie he had been so dying to see a short time ago. _Summer-1, Taylor-0_, she thought, then all thoughts of the blonde were banished from her mind as Seth's hands slipped under her skirt.

He seemed content to stroke her knee as they made out, not making any attempts to further his exploration of her bare skin and, as their tongues duelled, she had to admit that she didn't really feel like going all the way either. She was surprised to discover this, as makeup sex had always been her favorite part of fighting with Seth. But thus was the development of their relationship, and though indisputably an enjoyable experience, sex was no longer the only was they could express the full extent of their feelings. Rather it was the lack of sex that allowed their relationship to grow past an ordinary teenager romance, as they were slightly less clouded by hormones.

"Have I ever mentioned that you're beautiful when you're angry?" He murmured, brushing her cheek with his palm. "And when you're sad, and happy and every moment of the day, and every moment of the night." A light kiss fell on her lips. "You know that I love you right?"

"Well I think you mentioned it yes, but I can always stand to hear it again. You know I'm kinda slow sometimes, maybe you need to tell me again." She answered with a cute little smirk that seemed to say, 'yep I'm in love and all is right with the world'.

"Hmm well in that case just to make sure, I am absolutely-" Kiss, "-totally-" Kiss, "-in love with you." He closed the minuscule distance between their lips once more, letting go of Summer's body to shrug off his jacket.

Summer's nimble fingers made short work of his tie and the first two buttons of his shirt, but stopped there as she moved her lips to his jaw and then his neck.

They were still making out when Ryan and Marissa entered the room, and though Seth's shirt was now untucked and the straps of Summer's dress were off her shoulders, they were still pretty much fully dressed. She was now in his lap, fingers tangled in his hair as he held her close to him. Marissa cleared her throat and the two broke apart.

"Ok, enough tonsil hockey you kids," Ryan teased.

Summer blushed a little and got off Seth, pulling up the straps of her dress, "Like you can talk, Chino."

Ryan raised an eyebrow at the seldom-used insult, but didn't say anything, merely shooting a look that spoke volumes, as per old-school Ryan Atwood. Marissa picked up Summer's purse and raised it in question, to which Summer shook her head.

"Go ahead, I think I'm gonna stay here tonight." She said, turning to Seth to confirm that it was OK. He nodded and pulled her back down to sit next to him.

Marissa extracted Summer's car and house keys from the brunette's purse, then made her way to the foyer, Ryan following her. Seth and Summer watched them leave, noticing that although they walked next to one another with shoulders touching, neither made any move to further the contact.

"Trouble in paradise?" Summer asked, eyes still locked on the backs of their best friends.

"I'm thirsty, do you want a drink?" Seth answered, holding out a hand to help her up.

She shot him a look for ignoring her comment, but accepted his help anyway, almost making him fall over when she pulled on his arm with all her weight.

"You get the glasses, I'll get the drinks," She said, pushing him gently towards the cupboard. He complied, as he always did, and as she opened the fridge Summer wondered exactly how he had become so enamoured with her that he obeyed almost all of her commands – though he did still have a point where he said 'no' and got all stubborn.

"I dunno if I'd classify their relationship as paradise, but I definitely sensed some tension…" Seth finally answered her earlier comment, trailing off as he turned around to see Summer pulling a huge hunk of chocolate cake out of the fridge. "That's my cake." He immediately said, setting the glasses in his hands on the counter.

She broke off a piece and popped it into her mouth, "It's good."

Though he admired the adorable face she made as she examined the cake, icing smeared on the side of her mouth, Seth was anxious to save his dessert from his girlfriend. "Gimme my cake," He moved around the counter towards her.

She took another bite and smirked at him, "No way."

Reaching her, he made a grab for the plate but she held it out of reach. "C'mon," he whined, attempting to take hold of her other hand.

She avoided his grasp, moving away from him slightly, "Sorry, Cohen, it's too important to me." They stared at one another for a moment, apparently at a stalemate.

Then Seth made another swipe for the plate and Summer leapt out of his reach and ran out of the kitchen, cake in hand. He chased after her, both of them giggling like crazy as they wove around the house. Just as Seth was about to catch up to her, Summer darted up the stairs. Seth caught a handful of her dress as he followed her, pulling her down on top of him playfully.

"You really want the cake?" She asked, out of breath from both laughing and running.

Seth couldn't muster enough breath to speak, so simply nodded.

Grinning evilly, she took the entire piece and smushed it into his mouth. They sat there staring at one another, Seth's face bulging with cake and Summer smiling widely, until both started laughing.

"Tank oo." Seth's voice was muffled by the cake, which only caused Summer to laugh harder.

"It's good, right?" She asked, putting on an innocent face for a second, before his expression caused her to crack up again.

He didn't respond, instead taking a big clump of cake off his chin and thrusting it at her mouth. They lay there for a while, feeding one another cake in between kisses and giggles. Finally, when most of the dessert was eaten, Seth lay back on the stairs and gazed up at Summer's face, practically covered in cake. Her brown eyes were shining with mirth, and he could see in them her love for him and her relief that her fears about the Taylor situation had been proven erroneous. Only Seth had ever been able to understand her feelings by merely looking into her eyes – only with him did she feel comfortable enough to drop her façade and allow him to see what she was thinking. He was eternally grateful that she had finally allowed him to do that, and swore that he would do everything in his power to always make her feel as comfortable as she did at this time.

Summer knew that the reason she allowed Seth Cohen to see into her soul was because he was the only one who wanted to see it. Marissa always wanted her to be the perfect friend, who never had problems of her own and was always willing to help her sort out her life. Her father wanted her to be the perfect daughter, in looks, academics and actions, and she always felt she had failed him no matter how many times he said he was proud of her. But with Seth all she had to be was herself. He had never asked her – verbally or otherwise – to be anything that she wasn't, accepting all her flaws and quirks as a part of her and making her feel like she was perfect for _not_ being faultless.

Leaning down to give him a light kiss on the lips, Summer moved off her boyfriend and the two of them made their way into his bathroom. Seth accidentally splashed her while washing his face clean of cake, thus sparking a water fight between the two of them, which only ended when he fell backwards into the bathtub. Speaking no words, the pair simultaneously changed into sleepwear – Seth in just boxers, Summer in a novelty tee – and curled together on his bed, her head resting on his shoulder, his arm around her back, legs intertwined.

Summed loved the feel of his hairy legs tangled with her smooth ones, his breath fluttering the hair on the top of her head, and his fingers tracing random patterns on her upper thigh. These simple touches were enjoyed more as members of a more-than-high-school-relationship than they had been while dating the first (and second) time, and the sensation of clothes between them only heightened the experience – though they knew what lay beneath the layers of cloth, actually seeing or touching it was unnecessary.

Seth revelled in the sensation of rough cotton against his bare chest, and tightened his arm around her to bring her closer to him. Though he loved the satin and silk negligees she often wore, it always secretly thrilled him when she wore his clothes, as it illustrated, more than anything else, that she was his – though he would never actually voice the words to her for fear of retribution and the proclamation that no-one owned her. He didn't actually see it as ownership, more as a belonging – he believed their hearts belonged together, though they existed in two separate entities. He was more than happy for her to own him – heart, body, soul and mind – and hoped that one day she would give him her soul and mind as she had bestowed upon him her heart and body.

Playful touches and kisses didn't turn into anything else that night. It was wonderful to just fall asleep with the sensation of a kiss still lingering on lips while hands stroked delicately and wholly without their owner's knowledge over sensitive skin. Seth's fingers twined into Summer's hair long after he drifted off, and she sighed and kissed his shoulder in her sleep.

* * *

Summer was conscious of his gaze before her body was even fully awake. She could always feel Seth's eyes on her; no matter where they were or what they were doing, his chocolate orbs always seemed to find their way straight to her heart. She remained motionless for a long time, lying there listening to his silence, knowing that something had him deep in thought as his eyes never strayed from her face and he didn't break the tranquillity with his infamous ramblings. When he didn't seem inclined to stop, she allowed her eyes to flutter open, meeting his brown eyes with her own.

"Hey." Her words were soft, her voice deepened both by sleep and his body pressed so tightly up against her own.

"Hey, yourself." He reached out a gentle hand and smoothed her hair away from her face, running his knuckles over her soft cheek. "Sweet dreams?"

She smiled, lowering her eyes to his lips before meeting his gaze once more. "The best."

He grinned, his tongue darting out to casually wet his lips as he pondered her words. "Was I in them?"

"When aren't you?" She laughed, pushing him back and settling astride his body, her fingers finding the soft skin of his chest, caressing him softly.

"Have I ever thanked you for taking me back that night, and for putting up with me after?" His hands settled on her thighs, stroking her flawless flesh with a loving touch.

"Only when you think you're gonna get lucky." Her grin was lopsided, her eyes warm and welcoming as he raised his touch beneath her shirt.

"Am I right?"

"Nope." His face fell, his fingers stalling on their travels towards her breasts and she almost dissolved into giggles, so crestfallen was his expression.

"No?"

"Nope." She grinned, leaning down to press a gentle kiss against his pouting lips as her body softly circled against his, ripping a throaty growl from his chest. "I'm the one who got lucky, Seth."

THE END

Omigod I can't believe I forgot to post this. You guys can all say thankyou to Fallen412, whose recent review made me realise that I hadn't posted this chapter yet, though it's been finished for almost two weeks now. Chap for _The Swells_ will be posted as soon as I get it back frommy beta, and I would love some ideas for recent episodes. Thanks heaps for all the reviews!

Also, for any fans of _Seceding Link_, I'd love some help with it - apart from revealing the results of the pregnancy tests I'm stuck for ideas for the next chap.


	8. 308 The Game Plan

**The Game Plan**

**By Somebody's Angel**

"Are you questioning your sexuality? Seth asked jokingly, smirking at his brother.

"No, you could see how…" Ryan trailed off, knowing Seth wasn't in the mood to be serious.

"Have some toes," Summer said, wiggling her bare toes at Marissa.

Seth threw Marissa the winter hat Summer had ripped off his head while they were making out earlier. She handed it to Ryan and grabbed Summer's toes playfully as her boyfriend pretended to try the hat on.

"Hey!" Summer laughed, pulling her foot away from Marissa's grasp.

Ryan put down Seth's hat and reached for Summer's foot as Seth threw the 'Providence' brochure at Marissa – missing, of course. The minute she felt calloused fingers touch her foot, Summer squealed and attempted to pull away, but Ryan was stronger than her, and kept a hold of her. He tickled the bottom of her foot, which caused her to scream and wiggle around in an attempt to extract her foot from his clutches…it didn't work. She did, however, succeed in pushing both Seth and Marissa off the bed, and the two watched as Ryan and Summer both fought for control of the tickle war; Ryan having moved up to tickling Summer's rib cage and Summer trying to catch hold of his hands.

Seth watched with amusement, amazed that the two got on so well. Ryan and Summer probably had the shakiest friendship out of the fantastic four; brought together more because of their respective relationships with Seth and Marissa rather than actually being outright friends. Seth and Marissa had a lot in common, both liking the same types of music and books, and thus were better friends than Seth could have ever hoped for. He was able to go to her with problems that Ryan couldn't – or wouldn't – help with, and could always trust that she would be both honest and gentle with her advice.

Finally Marissa took pity on her best friend, and pulled her boyfriend off her. They collapsed on the bed, and Summer immediately moved over to Seth, who was standing next to his desk.

Seth grabbed a piece of the cake that Ryan and Marissa had brought up. "Uh, Summer. There's something on your face."

"What? Where?" She immediately put a hand to her cheek, trying to wipe off the apparent mark.

"Oh, just about…here!" he smeared the cake on Summer's cheek.

"Cohen! You are so gonna pay for that." He ran away from her, moving to the other side of the room. She grabbed another piece of cake and threw it at him, but he dodged and the cake hit Ryan smack in the face.

"What the hell Summer?" the blonde asked, perplexed. Marissa wiped a finger over Ryan's cheek and tasted the cake, making appreciative noises.

"Sorry Atwood, I meant to hit Cohen."

Ryan had a playful smile and mischievous glint in his eyes. He got off the bed and grabbed his own piece of cake.

"Ryan? You wouldn't dare!" He nodded and smiled.

Summer squealed and ran over Seth's bed in an attempt to get away, but inadvertently backed herself into a corner. Ryan chased and threw the cake at Summer, but missed her and hit Marissa, who was still sitting on the bed.

"Ryan, you are so paying for that!" That was the beginning of the great cake/food fight between the fantastic four, with Seth and Ryan on one side and Summer and Marissa on the other. Then Seth's bedroom door opened and the four of them froze with cake in their hands and more on their faces and clothes.

"What on earth is going on in here?" Kirsten said, her voice hard but eyes sparkling.

All four teens simultaneously lowered their hands and looked sheepish. "Sorry," Seth was the first one to speak, as always.

At the sound of her son's voice Kirsten's face broke into a wide grin. "Just make sure you clean it up. I don't want Rosa complaining about any stains on the carpet." She was out the door almost before she had finished her sentence.

The four watched the closed door in silence for a few months, amazed that they hadn't gotten into trouble.

"Great idea Cohen." Summer was the first one to break the silence, slapping her boyfriend on the shoulder. "You are such a nut job."

"I take offense at being called a 'nut job,'" Seth remarked, rubbing his shoulder.

"Oh yeah?" Summer smirked, placing her hands on her hips and moving closer to him. "What would you call yourself?"

"Sanity challenged," Seth offered.

"Right…" Marissa snorted, turning her own boyfriend.

"Remind me again WHY you haven't driven me crazy?" Summer said, hands on hips belying the grin that graced her lips.

"Cause you're already crazy bout me, baby," he retorted, threading his arms under hers to rest his palm on her waist.

"You're right, unfortunately," she rolled her eyes at the dreaded endearment, but the grin remained as she rubbed her hands along his arms.

They quickly cleaned up the room, carefully wiping down the posters and picking up every crumb of food off the floor. When it was spotless the four stood in the corners of the room and stared at one another, unable to comprehend how this group would be split up in just a few short months.

Summer didn't know how she would survive rooms full of strangers and knowing no-one – growing up in Newport, where three-quarters of the moms had had something tucked or lifted by her father by the time she was in middle school, and where the number of new kids at school each year was less than ten, everyone knew everyone, and she knew the full name of every kid in the class. She hadn't been friendless since the second day of kindergarten, when a short blonde girl had mistaken Summer's My Little Pony backpack for her own.

…FLASHBACK…

"Hey! That's mine!" Four-year-old Summer snatched the pink backpack out of the smaller girl's hand, immediately unzipping it to check whether any of her belongings had suffered harm during the three seconds they had been in another's possession.

"I-I'm s-sorry, I thought it was m-my backpack. My daddy bought me one just like it." The blonde girl stammered, visibly intimidated by the girl with chocolate pigtails and perfectly complimented outfit.

"I bet that mean girl Holly stole it – she took my pencil case yesterday." Summer replied, gently placing her backpack down and taking the girl's hand. "Let's go get it off her. My name's Summer."

"Marissa." Was the only word she could get out, before Summer was purposely walking towards a tall, solid blonde girl.

…END FLASHBACK…

They had been best friends ever since, and had seen one another through the many trials and tribulations of growing up. When Summer, who had always been one of the tallest in the class, suddenly stopped growing at twelve, it was Marissa who convinced her that being short wasn't a disadvantage. And when Marissa was still flat as a tack at fifteen, it was Summer who reassured her that boobs weren't all they were cracked up to be.

Summer knew that it wouldn't take her long to make new friends, but she also knew that she would never forget what Marissa's friendship had brought to her life and that, no matter how far apart they lived, they would never stop being friends.

Seth wondered how he had ever become so lucky. Up until two years ago, the only people who would have even known where he was going to college would have been his family. Now not only did he have people who wanted to know, Summer was intending to follow him all the way across the country in an attempt to make their relationship work.

He simply had no words to describe how he had felt when Summer told him she wanted to come with him. While she had had a right to be angry that he hadn't even thought about their relationship when thinking about where he wanted to go to college, her adamant declaration that she wasn't giving up her dreams to follow him had led to some serious soul searching. Seth had wanted to leave Newport ever since his parents had dragged him here, and had held onto the dream of going away to college for almost as long. On the other hand there was Summer, whom he had loved since fifth grade, and whose mere presence in his life had prevented him from leaving Newport sooner than now. He had finally been coming around to the idea of staying with her on the west coast – albeit as far away from Newport as possible, thus making Berkeley more and more attractive – when Summer had pushed him into his room and put a snow hat on his head. When she had pulled the 'Providence' sweater over her head, he had felt his heart beat a little faster, the same way it always did when he looked at his 'college bag'.

And while he knew he would miss Ryan and Marissa and his parents when he left them behind in California, he also knew that he and Summer would meet many great people on the East Coast – possibly even people to whom popularity wasn't the be all and end all of 'friendship'.

"I'm thirsty," Summer said suddenly, breaking the silence. With a devious smile, she moved forward and took Seth's hand, completely ignoring Ryan and Marissa, "Cohen, come help me get a drink from the kitchen."

He gave her a curious look, to which she gave no response as she led the way out of the room and down the stairs. She came to a halt outside the kitchen, where silence indicated Sandy and Kirsten had finished cleaning up.

"Why exactl-"

She grabbed Seth by the shirt and pushed him inside, causing him to bump against the counter. She pounced on him, pushing him against the fridge and forcing her tongue inside his mouth. He responded, kissing her eagerly, his tongue battling against her own. He put his hands on her back and pulled her closer to him. She moaned, fingers tangling in his hair and crushing his face against hers, desperate to deepen the kiss. She was standing on her toes and he was leaned over slightly. Summer cursed herself for being so bloody short and wished that Seth would have the sense to press her against the fridge, so she could hook her legs around him and they'd be equal height.

She needed to breathe, but she didn't want to pull away. She wanted to stay like that forever, even though the overwhelming height difference would grow to be downright uncomfortable, and she'd probably pass out from air shortage soon. She was so happy that he was willing to give their relationship a shot, so full of love and pride and emotion that she needed to express her feelings, and this was only way she felt comfortable.

Finally she pulled away, going back to peck him once, twice, three times before putting sufficient breathing space between them.

"Help you get a drink, huh?" Seth grinned, and Summer pulled his hand out from under her sweatshirt.

"I love you, Cohen." She replied, keep a hold of his hand and rubbing her thumb across his knuckles affectionately.

Seth grinned again as he gently closed the distance between their lips in a soft, meaningful kiss. Summer kissed back, thoroughly drowning in the emotions and feelings his touch and kiss gave her. They were still aware that Marissa and Ryan were waiting for them in Seth's room, but at that moment they were focused only on each other. Summer ran her hands down his arms and broke apart, needing oxygen.

"I hate when you do that," she whispered, her eyes still closed.

Seth grinned, "When I do what?"

She opened her eyes slowly and playfully glared at him, "When you kiss me so well I don't want to have to stop and breathe."

Seth laughed as he turned to extract drinks from the fridge.

"We have to get back out there before they come in here," Summer informed him as she quickly pressed her lips to his once more.

* * *

At 8am the next morning, Sandy stood outside Seth's bedroom door, having discovered the poolhouse, kitchen and living room still empty. Opening the door and peering in, he could only make out indistinct shapes as he waited for his eyes to adjust to the little light coming through the closed blinds. When he could see properly all he could do was smile – the kids hadn't allowed their differing college choices affect their friendship, and were taking every opportunity to commemorate the relationships before life split them up.

All four were piled on the queen bed and, surprisingly, no-one had yet fallen off, despite the bed being made to sleep two, not four. This could have also been because they were practically sleeping on top of one another. Summer had turned in Seth's arms during the night and was now lying almost completely on top of him, her face buried in his neck and her hand on his chest. Seth was on his back with his arms around Summer while Ryan had his back pressed against Summer's, his arms around Marissa, his face hidden in her hair. Marissa's hands were on top of Ryan's, and smiles were on all four faces. For a moment, seeing Ryan's bare chest and Summer's bare shoulder, he was afraid something indecent had gone on during the night, but just as the thought crossed his mind Summer shifted in Seth's embrace, affording Sandy a view of her other shoulder, a slender strap clearly visible across the tanned expanse.

Kirsten came up behind him without a word, and an adorable look came over her face when she saw how the four teens were sleeping. Tiptoeing into the room, she grabbed Seth's digital camera off his desk and snapped a couple of pictures of them, before replacing the camera and exiting as silently as she had come. Sandy continued watching them – how Seth's body moved to accommodate Summer's repositioning, how Marissa smiled when Ryan exhaled heavily into her shoulder – until his wife pulled him away.

* * *

When Seth walked into the kitchen, the first thing he noticed was that it was empty and that he was, for once, the first of the fantastic four to awaken – a small detail he hadn't in fact noticed when climbing out of bed, which was still occupied by three other bodies. The second thing he noticed was that his parents had left breakfast for them. Never one to turn down food he didn't have to prepare himself, Seth sat down and started munching on strawberries from the fruit platter as he flipped through the _Arts and Leisure_ section of the newspaper. He became so absorbed in an article about the new Harry Potter movie that he didn't hear his friends walk in.

"Somebody pinch me," Summer said as she stopped abruptly a few feet inside the doorway, causing Ryan and Marissa to nearly crash into her.

Ryan reached over and did as Summer had asked.

"Ow!" She whacked him on the arm before rubbing the spot on hers where she'd just been pinched.

"Well you asked for it," Ryan mumbled in his defense. "Dare I ask why?"

"I just wanted to make sure I wasn't dreaming," Summer explained. "Cohen was the first one up," she elaborated after receiving blank looks from Ryan and Marissa.

Seth finally looked up from the article he was reading to shoot Summer an evil glare.

"_And_, he's eating fruit," she added, which was another oddity, considering there was a stack of pancakes next to the fruit platter, that Seth didn't seem to be touching.

Seth threw a grape at Summer. "I'm watching my figure." He flashed her a wry smile.

"Well I watch it all the time, and I think you look fine," was her witty comeback as she sauntered over to the counter to sit on his lap.

Seth didn't make any protest, so she settled herself comfortably and reached for some food.

"Hey don't I even get a good morning kiss?" He asked, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Not a good morning until I've had my coffee," she replied, taking the cup that Ryan handed her.

Two mouthfuls later she turned her head and placed a hand either side of his face to kiss him thoroughly. "Good morning, Cohen." She said when they pulled apart.

Seth was too shocked at the intensity of the kiss to formulate words, so simply kissed the back of her head fondly and lay his head on her shoulder.

THE END

Merry Christmas guys! This was very hurriedly written in about five hours, so apologises for any mistakes, but I did it! I broke my own record – three chapters in less than a week. Am currently away from home and had to beg and plead to get this half hour on the net to post this, so there won't be any more chaps posted until after the New Year. As always, ideas, comments and reviews are much appreciated.


	9. 309 The Disconnect

**The Disconnect**

**By Somebody's Angel**

_She's just like wasabi  
Looks like a Barbie  
Yeah she's too hot for me  
She's like a tsunami  
Can wipe out an army  
With a blink of an eye, she can part the red sea  
Drives a yellow Ferrari  
Wears Nike and Armani  
Her jewellery's all Tiffany's  
She hangs out with Arnie  
Sips champagne in Paris  
But all she ever wants,  
Is to do it with me_

_Wasabi  
So damn hot  
Yeah my head's gonna blow  
Wasabi  
She's on eleven  
She can go go go_

_Lee Harding – Wasabi_

"Actually _who_ever, not whomever, because, ah…"

Summer kicked out at her boyfriend, annoyed that he was ruining their moment with corrections of her grammar.

"Oww!" He whined, and continued on with his spiel as if she hadn't interrupted. This time she slapped the arm that wasn't linked with hers, and he shut up…about her grammar. "So tell me the truth, oh smart-one, is Earth really being invaded by little green men?"

Summer stared at him with mock seriousness. "Absolutely. Not only green ones, but yellow, pink, blue and purple ones as well. You know it's not even safe to walk the streets at night."

"Well, maybe I'd better walk you home then," Seth joked. "Heaven forbid they jump you while getting a breath of polluted air."

They both laughed, and Seth pulled her closer to him and placed a kiss on her temple.

"So what are we going to do if neither of us gets into Brown?" Summer asked suddenly.

"Go somewhere else." He didn't break stride, merely placed an arm around her shoulders. "As long as we get out of Newport I'm happy."

She stopped, unable to believe what she was hearing. "What? So after all that crap about wanting to go East, and not even thinking about how it would affect our relationship you decide that you don't care what college you go to?"

He turned to face her, taking both of her hands into his larger ones. "Just before you told me you were coming with me I had decided to choose you." His simple words caused a giant smile to cross her face, and she felt an intense warmth spread throughout her body as he continued speaking, "Being with you is more important to me than getting out of California, so I'm going with you, whether it's Brown or Berkeley or wherever else we get accepted."

Summer had no words to describe how she felt at this revelation, so instead she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him with all the love she felt for him.

When she released him they were both gasping for breath, and identical grins graced both their mouths. Seth draped an arm over her shoulder and she wrapped hers around his waist, pulling their bodies so close that they were touching from hip to shoulder.

They continued on their walk and finally reached the Cohen house, where they halted next to a shining silver convertible. Summer nudged him in the ribs, "So much for walking me home, Cohen."

Seth looked offended, "I fully intend to walk you home, I just need you to drive me to your house first."

"Does that mean you're joining me in my Jacuzzi tonight?"

"Well," he cocked his head to one side and stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Considering that my schedule consists of nothing, followed by nothing, followed by some more nothing, I'm thinking-"

"Oh shut up." She tugged his hand away from his face and kissed him soundly.

* * *

A shimmering landscape of bubbles floated across the surface of Summer's Jacuzzi bathtub. Her head rested against Seth's shoulder, his on several folded towels that were on the small ledge between the tub and the wall of the shower stall. She had pulled her chestnut hair into a haphazard bun and both set of coffee-colored eyes were closed as they tried to imagine a time in their life when they had felt happier. Their thoughts were identical when they counted their first kiss as second, but neither could deny that the knowledge of the other's feelings far eclipsed the sensations when their lips first touched. Her sigh made him open his eyes and look down to see her turning her head so that her cheek rested against his skin. He lightly kissed the top of her head and was rewarded with a small smile. 

He rested his head against the towels and allowed his eyelids to drift closed once again, breathing in the scent of her and the bubble bath. She felt so small in his arms, but he knew that her indomitable spirit more than made up for her being 'vertically challenged'.

Summer murmured something sleepily against his chest. "Hmm?" he asked, not bothering to open his eyes.

"I don't deserve you," she said quietly.

His eyes opened at that, and he lifted his head and looked down at her. Her eyes were still closed, denying him a glimpse of the chocolate eyes that held such control over him.

"Why do you keep saying that, Summer?"

"After everything I put you through all those years, you still believe in me. I told you that I'll always look up to you, and it's because you saw through the façade of Newport society and rose above it, even as a little kid. And yeah, that caused you to be ostracized, but you knew that there was a whole world out there that isn't anything like the Newport bubble." Her eyes were now open, but she resisted his attempts to turn her around to look him in the eye, not knowing if she would be able to tell him what she was thinking if she was staring into his liquid brown eyes. "You tell me that I'm more attractive, more popular that you, but before you came along, that's all I was. Pretty, shallow, conceited and more concerned about people's reputations that their personality. It's because of you that I got the SAT score that I did, that I'm able to even contemplate going to an Ivy League college." Seth opened his mouth to comment, but she reached up to close it before he could get any words out – though she still hadn't turned around to face him. "I guess what I'm trying to say is thank you, for everything that you've done; for loving me."

He hugged her tighter. "I do love you, Jay. And I'm sorry I did the whole competing thing with you, it's just…I don't deserve you, you know." He smiled as she made a noise of protest. "I don't. I put you through hell last year, yet you forgave me and…" Seth trailed off, unable to find the words to express his fears, until a red shirt hanging out of the laundry basket took him on a trip down Memory Lane. "You're the Beauty in our relationship, and the Brawn, and the Boobs…and the Bitch." He added cheekily, earning an elbow in the ribs, "I've only ever been the Brains and the…I can't think of a 'b'-word for funny right now, but I was that too. Now you're funnier than me, and apparently also smarter…so I bring absolutely nothing to the table." His shoulders dropped, and Summer tilted her head back to look up at him.

"Hmm." She smiled and sat up. He dropped his arms from around her waist as she turned around to face him, kneeling astride his legs. "Well a) you are beautiful to me, and we both know you're my bitch, so you do bring _some _things to the table." Her mischievous smile and the circle she made with her hips let him know exactly what she meant by 'some things'. "And b) since neither of us deserve one another, I guess that means we're perfect for each other, huh?"

Seth's eyes and shoulders perked up as he smiled. "I guess so." He reached out to cup her face in his palms and pulled her to him for a long, thorough kiss. Her hands traced random patterns across his chest as his hands slid down her neck and shoulders.

Nothing in his life had ever felt so right, Seth thought. He ended the kiss and slowly worked his way to her ear. Having Summer in his arms, in his life, was like filling in the final block of a crossword puzzle. It made him feel complete.

Summer sighed as he made his way back up for another kiss. Her hands had slid around to his back and she was slowly trailing her nails downward, causing him to shiver. He could hear his heart pounding as his hands followed the curves of her body below the water line.

"So what do you wanna do tonight?" She asked, grasping his hands in hers.

"I don't know." Seth slowly traced the line of her collar bone with his finger. "Count the number of freckles on your body?"

Summer smiled, tilting her head back to give him better access. "You've tried that before. I think you got to thirteen before you completely gave up and turned it into foreplay."

He ran his hand over the freckles on her upper chest. "I'll try to get to fourteen next time then."

He brought his hand up to cradle her face as their lips found each other once more. She opened her mouth and he slipped his tongue in, meeting with hers in a passionate duel. Her taste was unique to anything he had ever tasted before, and he was hopelessly addicted. Forced to break the kiss when lack of oxygen was starting to affect his ability to sit upright, he rested his forehead against hers, staring into her eyes.

"God, I love you," he whispered against her lips.

"You know you're already getting lucky, right?" Her eyes were shinning with unshed tears and her voice was so soft that any sarcasm her words would have held was lost.

"Yeah, I know," he chuckled, "but I still love you."

* * *

Summer muttered unintelligible noises as she slowly came out of a deep sleep. Surprised not to find Seth's warm body snuggled up against her she reached over for him and awakened completely when her hand met satin. She opened one bleary eye. His spot in the bed was still warm so he must have only vacated it recently. Listening for a moment she heard the water running and – 

"Please allow me to introduce myself! I'm a man of wealth and taste! I've been around for a long, long year! Stole many a man's soul and faith!"

She groaned, sinking her head deeper into her pillow. Seth was in the shower. And he was singing. Loudly. She glanced at the digital clock on her nightstand to see that they really didn't need to be awake yet and idly wondered how on earth he could sound so hyper after all their…ahem, physical activities.

"Pleased to meet you! Hope you guess my name! Oh yeah! What's puzzling you is just the nature of my game! WHOO-WHOO! WHOO-WHOO!"

She sighed, knowing she wouldn't be able to get back to sleep now and reminded herself that if she killed him now she wouldn't be able to use him as her love slave again later. Untangling herself from the mass of covers she must have stolen from Seth as they slept, she got up and shuffled to her bathroom. The door was open a bit, light and steam spilling through the crack into the darkened room. She pushed it open, squinting at the sudden brightness, the clean spicy scent of soap hitting her nostrils.

"_So if you meet me have some courtesy, have some sympathy and some taste!_" Seth crooned, humming the lyrics he couldn't remember and even making sounds to mimic Keith Richards' famous guitar riff. Over the steady drone of the water and his own voice he hadn't heard her tiptoe into the room.

Summer almost lost it when he started singing in falsetto. _Oh, Cohen,_ she thought, shaking her head.

"_Tell me baby! What's my name? WHOO-WHOO! Tell me honey! Can you guess my name?_"

She rolled her eyes and shook her head, biting her lip to hold back the laughter that was begging desperately to escape. Walking over to the shower, unashamedly naked, she slowly reached out and suddenly whipped the pink-striped curtain open.

"_WOO_- WHAAAAAAAAA!" he yelled in surprise, the slippery bar of soap shooting from his hand. Realizing it was just Summer and not Norman Bates dressed as his mother and brandishing a butcher knife, he clutched his lathered chest and let out a deep breath. "Holy shit, Summer! You scared the hell outta me!"

"Serves you right for disturbing my slumber. Move over maestro," she grumbled, poking him in the side and stepping into the shower, pulling the curtain closed. He quickly rinsed himself off, Summer watching with more than a little bit of interest as the soapsuds were chased off his not-so-skinny body.

"Cranky," he teased, wiping water out of his eyes and dropping a quick greeting kiss on her lips as he maneuvered around her carefully to let her get under the spray. "Someone hasn't had their coffee yet I see."

She gave him a look. "No shit, Sherlock."

"Keep digging, Watson," he countered with an amused smirk.

"'Sympathy for the Devil'?" she questioned, leaning her head back to wet her hair. "Really?"

"What, you don't like the Stones?" he asked distractedly, entranced by the water droplets running down over her breasts to her navel and beyond. Her arms crossed over her chest and she cleared her throat. With some effort he snapped his eyes back to hers, offering a sheepish expression.

"Sure I do," she replied, reaching past him for her shampoo. "When it's Mick singing," she added with a smug grin.

He gasped, feigning hurt. "Ouch Jay. That hurts on the inside," he pouted poking himself in the chest over his heart.

She chuckled, rinsing her hair. "You'll find a way to carry on, I'm sure. Come here I took too much."

He ducked his head obediently as she massaged the excess shampoo into his hair. Her fingernails scratched his scalp and he brought his hand up to rapidly paw at his ear, mimicking a dog having his belly rubbed. He grinned when she laughed; he loved that sound and would do almost anything to hear it.

"It could have been worse you know," he kidded, dropping his hand. "I coulda been singin' Britney Spears."

A horrified look crossed her face and she shuddered. "Oh, perish the thought."

Seth raised an eyebrow at her, reminding her without words of her own music choices not all that long ago – the Britney Spears CDs in her CD rack were a testament to her previous Valley Girl image. "Besides, I thought you said you liked my voice?" he queried, cocking his head curiously to the side. They often sang together when they felt silly, in the car or in bed or while doing homework.

"I do," she admitted, still working her fingers through the thick lather in his dark hair. "Maybe just not so much when it wakes me from my beauty sleep-"

"You're already beautiful," he interjected, turning on the charm with the smile that he knew made her melt.

"Thank you," she said, though she still lightly cuffed him over the ear for being so cheesy. "Okay then, not so much when it wakes me at eight o'clock on a Saturday morning and the night before was particularly…exhausting. How the hell are you even conscious by the way?" she demanded.

He grinned and shrugged, waggling his eyebrows. "I guess I just have good stamina."

She pursed her lips. "Mm, don't I know it." Pushing him under the spray, Summer continued massaging his head to ensure every bubble of lather was rinsed out. He turned to face her, and pulled her under the spray as well, both laughing as they kissed under the warm water.

THE END

Three updates in less than a month! Wow you guys are _really_ special! Am working on the Chrismukkah one, will hopefully get it up before the new ep next Thurs. As always, reviews and ideas are greatly appreciated.


	10. 310 The Chrismukkah Bar MitzVakkah

**The Chrismukkah Bar Mitz-Vakkah**

**By Somebody's Angel**

_…I can be the one to show you  
Everything you missed before  
Just hold on now, cause I can be the one to give you more  
Let you know_

_Anytime you need love baby I'm on your side (hey)  
Just let me be the one I can make it alright (I can make it alright)  
Anytime you need love baby you're in my heart  
I can make it alright _

As Seth swayed to the music, he gazed around the room and thanked Moses that he had been given a do-over Bar Mitzvah. Watching the video of his first one had brought back all the memories, and he had felt the younger Seth's pain as he watched himself watch people dance to the very song he was now listening to.

Summer leaned her head on his arm, and he wondered if she had had fun at Luke's paint ball party, wondered if she had spared a thought for the other thirteen-year-old whose event she had promised to attend. _It's all alright now, though,_ he thought, moving his hand from around her shoulders to stroke her hair, _everything always works out in the end_.

Relishing the touch of his hand on her head, Summer speculated what would have happened if she had gone to Seth's Bar Mitzvah as she had intended – would they have found the kind of love they had now, or would it have been a childhood fling…would she have ever noticed him as anything more than a friend?

Later she watched Seth and Marissa dance with their respective mothers. The love and approval she saw in Kirsten and Julie's eyes made her feel even sadder, knowing that her own mother's eyes had never reflected anything close to the same emotions for her only daughter. _"I just wasn't ready to be a mother, baby. And I know you'll be better off without me. I'll always love you, baby, please remember that."_ Madeline Roberts' last words to her daughter echoed in Summer's mind, and she was reminded of why she hated the nickname 'baby'.

"The holidays are hard, aren't they?" A voice came from beside her, and Summer knew that he was the only one who could come close to understanding what she was feeling at the moment.

"Yeah." She replied, turning to face Ryan, who was sitting in the chair next to her. "But now we have new people to fill the holes left by those who are gone." She purposely said 'fill the holes' instead of 'replace' because even though her mother had never been a real mother, there was no one who could completely replace Madeline in her heart.

Even as she spoke the words she could feel the walls closing in on her, "Can you do me a favor?" She continued without waiting for his affirmation, knowing that he would do almost anything she asked, "When Seth comes to find me" – As they both knew he would – "tell him I've gone home." Ryan's face was a mask of confusion, so she elaborated, "I just…I can't deal with the crowd at the moment, I need to be alone."

She was gone before Ryan could ask whether 'alone' meant by herself or alone with Seth. He shrugged, figuring that Seth could deal with her when he followed her home, as he would inevitably do, as he always did when she left without telling him.

* * *

An hour or two later Summer awoke to the feeling that she was being watched. The damp blue pillow and the itchiness of her eyes told her she had fallen asleep crying. She rubbed them absentmindedly, and the figure she could sense but not see moved towards her. She didn't want to move; for fear that the person in the room would see her and harm her somehow. 

A weight on the bed and a hand hovering so close to her back that she could feel the heat emanating from it. The second she felt the touch she was at ease, knowing that it was him.

"Summer?"

She rolled onto her side, and saw Seth sitting next to her, rubbing her back softly. His eyes were red-rimmed, and he looked tired.

"What are you doing here?" She asked him.

"I could ask you the same thing."

"How did you find me?"

He slowly put his arms around her and pulled her into his body, holding her close. He kissed the top of her head and ran his fingers through her hair.

"Cohen?"

"Ryan told me you wanted to be alone, but you weren't at your house. I checked the beach and the pier…nothing." She smiled slightly, amused at how well he knew her, how he knew all the places she felt safe yet could also be alone. "I finally figured out that maybe you'd come here. I was really worried that something had happened to you. When I couldn't find you, I felt sick to my stomach." He squeezed her body a little tighter, kissed her temple lightly, and rested his chin on top of her head.

Summer's heart began to ache, and a few more tears slid down her cheeks. "Cohen. I'm fine. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you."

"I'm just glad you're okay, Summer. Don't apologize."

The two remained quiet for a few more minutes while holding onto each other. Seth worrying what had caused her to run out on a party she had helped plan, only to come to his room and cry herself to sleep. Summer marvelling at how comforting it was to simply lie in his arms, not saying anything – it seemed he always knew how to make her feel better, whether it be a joke or reassuring words or a simple hug.

Finally she spoke, knowing from his squirming that he was about to say something totally trivial just to break the silence, and that if he did the moment would be broken and she would probably never build the courage to say what she was about to say. "I had every intention of going to your first Bar Mitzvah, you know."

Whatever Seth had been expecting her to say, it wasn't that. "What?" His hand unconsciously stopped stroking her back, so she wiggled a little and didn't speak until he started again – the soothing rhythm was helping steel her resolve.

"Although, I admit, I did ask to go to Luke's birthday party, but my dad wouldn't let me go coz I'd already RSVP'd to you. So it would have been just you and me, and I would have been forced to notice you. I wonder what would have happened with us if I had noticed you way back then."

Seth snorted, "I highly doubt we'd be like this. You probably would have either sat with me for the party and then gone back to ignoring me at school, or else become a friend…but at thirteen I think love was a bit too much to hope for."

"Why? You've loved me since you were what? Ten?" Summer retorted, turning in his embrace.

"Well, yeah, but…" Seth couldn't think of a way to explain his reasoning without getting slapped, so he changed the subject. "So what happened?"

She didn't need him to clarify; such was the depth of their connection, "My mom left." She said simply, and Seth didn't need any more explanation than that, pulling her closer and kissing her lightly. She buried her face in his shoulder and cried some more, though she had no idea what she was actually crying about.

Seth didn't speak, even when he felt her tears seep through his shirt, merely tangling his legs with hers and touching his head to hers, trying to give her as much contact – and therefore comfort – as possible.

_I look into your eyes, and I feel it coming through  
And I can't help but want you more than I want to  
So baby take all of your fears, and cast them all on me  
'Cause all I ever wanted is just to make you see  
That I could be the one to give you  
All that you've been searching for  
Just hold on to my love, and baby let me give you more  
You know, anytime_

_Anytime you need love baby I'm on your side (on the side)  
Just let me be the one I can make it alright (I can make it alright)  
Anytime you need love baby you're in my heart  
I can make it alright _

A few moments later Summer slowly pulled away, wiping her eyes. She smiled brightly at Seth, all thoughts of her mother forgotten. He knew she was okay now, knew that her 'weepy' mood only ever lasted as long as the tears were flowing, and she would be back to snippy, happy Summer the instant they ceased.

"So Cohen, I still need to give you your Chrismukkah present." She pulled away fully, moving to stand on the bed in front of him. This was the first Chrismukkah they would share as a couple, and it was an important moment for them – their relationship had been going strong for almost seven months now, and this holiday was almost as important as their six-month anniversary had been…it was the favorite holiday of both Seth and Summer.

"I hear you like comic books, Cohen." She said saucily, and Seth had a sudden flashback to this time two years ago, when she had spoken those exact words just moments before she and Anna had forced him to choose.

She slowly undid her zipper – behind her back this time, not under her arm, as it had been the first time – to reveal an outfit that was still the subject of many of his fantasies. "Merry Christmas."

He was unable to stop his mouth from falling open, "Oh, my god."

Wonder Summer, as he had taken to calling her in his dreams, lassoed him and he willingly walked towards her as she reeled him in. Just before their lips met he spoke, "I didn't know you kept this."

She only "Mmm"ed against his lips before meeting them in the most passionate kiss either had ever experienced. It was as if he was consuming her. She felt as though all her senses had been heightened to focus on and receive the kiss. Seth responded eagerly, knowing that her sudden mood swings would have increased her emotions ten-fold.

He pressed her gently against the wall while their tongues tangled and she fumbled with his belt. She hooked her legs around his hips as his pants dropped to the floor and he moved his lips to her jaw, both their hands roaming below the waist.

_And now there's no way out  
And I can't help the way I feel  
'Cause baby you're the fire and I'll be waiting right here  
You know my love is real, baby  
Yeah yeah yeah_

* * *

Summer was still groggy when her alarm clock went off. She swatted toward the noise with her hand, hoping to hit the snooze button, finally achieving success after several tries – it seemed to be in a different place than usual. She snuggled her pillow closer and tried to savor the last few moments before wakefulness fully overtook her and her alarm went off again. She had almost fallen back asleep when she felt an arm pull her against a warm male body and a pair of lips began peppering her neck. She let out a yelp and almost bolted out of bed before she realized it was Seth. 

She turned to face him and he looked at her curiously as she tried to get her heart rate under control. "Dammit, you scared the hell out of me."

Seth looked slightly confused. "I'm sorry?"

She started to laugh. "No, I'm sorry, Cohen. I forgot I was here. You scared me." She reached up and tousled his hair.

He wrinkled his brow. "I worked very hard on my hair, and now you've gone and messed it up."

She giggled. "Honey, I hate to be the one to tell you, but it was already messed up, but you're damn cute."

He grinned leaning towards her. "I'm glad you think so."

She ran her thumb over his lower lip. "I love you."

Seth chuckled with a wide grin on his face as he leaned down to kiss her. He ran his hand down her arm and rested it on her bare hip. "Me too." He whispered against her lips.

The kiss was brief, but intense, and when their lips parted he laid his head on her chest. She ran absent fingers through his hair as they remembered their best Chrismukkah together.

…FLASHBACK…

Both satiated, Summer lowered her legs to the floor and kissed him again. Seth steered her to the bed and picked up his suit jacket from his desk where she had thrown it. It was the only item of clothing that had been fully removed during their tryst, and Seth's hormones were beginning to take control once again as he watched Summer sitting on _his_ bed in _that_ outfit. He extracted a long box from the inside jacket pocket, and turned to face her.

She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the long box – for a moment there she had been afraid he was about to give her a ring, and she had no idea what she would have said if he had.

He sat next to her and slowly opened the box. The gasp escaped her mouth a millisecond before she covered it with her hands. Seth extracted the jewelry from the blue velvet box and put it on her.

They both stared at the shining platinum for a minute before simultaneously moving to look into one another's eyes. Tears were shimmering in Summer's eyes once again, but Seth recognized them for what they were – happy tears. She kissed him hard, a whispered "thank you" touching his lips an instant before her lips did.

It was a bracelet. A gorgeous platinum charm bracelet. Seth held her hand as he pointed out what the charms meant. A squirrel – somewhat on the skinny side – hung next to a tiny mermaid, while a coiled whip – "Little Miss Vixen," was his only explanation – neighboured a sun charm and a little rectangle that, according to Seth, "represents both your shopping addiction and your spoiled-ness". A silver '4' symbolized their friendship with Ryan and Marissa, whilst a minute stethoscope was to remind her of her father and their close relationship.

"And this," Seth continued, taking a small bag out of another pocket, "this one is for us." The final charm was two interlinked hearts, with _S4S_ engraved on the back.

"Omigod Seth, it's beautiful." Summer finally found her voice, though she was unable to say anything further as she watched him attach the hearts on the link in the very middle of the chain.

"I love it." She said when Seth raised his eyes to hers, "And I _really_ love you." The emotion in her brown depths emphasised her words, "More than I can express, it's like I…I just _feel_ so much for you, and you mean more to me than anyone else, and…you show me in your actions, your words, your expressions, what you feel for me, and I'm sorry I can't always do the same…" She trails off and kisses him softly but intensely.

They lay back on the bed, smiling and holding onto one another and the night and the moment. Staring into eyes identical to their own, they traded soft kisses and caresses, speaking and saying more with the movement of their lips and the tips of their fingers than words would allow them to say. There were no words to describe their feelings. The one word 'love' meant too little for what it was. It meant everything and it was still not enough, didn't communicate even a fraction of the feelings involved.

Eventually their clothes disappeared and they were making love. It was an exact opposite of earlier, against the wall; that had been fast and hard and lustful – driven by Seth's fantasy. This time was slow and sensuous, and Summer could feel how much he loved her in his movements. His lips were always on her skin, whether it was lips, breast or cheek, and with each movement a new endearment stroked her skin moments before his lips did.

_Anytime you need love baby I'm on your side, you know  
Just let me be the one I can make it alright  
(I can make it al, make it al, make it alright)  
Anytime you need love baby you're in my heart  
I can make it alright, yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah_

_Anytime you need love baby I'm on your side (I'm on your side)  
Just let me be the one  
(let me be the one let me be the one let me be the one alright)  
Anytime you need love baby you're in my heart (you're in my heart)  
I can make it alright_

…END FLASHBACK…

"Cohen?" Summer's voice broke the tranquillity, and the expression on Seth's face indicated he was about to comment, but a look from Summer caused the words to dissolve in his mouth – it wasn't as if he'd never disturbed serenity with inane ramblings, and more often than not Summer had a good reason when she did it. "I never gave you the other half of your present."

"Summer, that present was beyond awesome." He began to protest, but she silenced him with a finger over his mouth as she moved off the bed.

"It's not like I've never given you my body before." She said bluntly, and he blinked hard, "The real present is this one." She pulled a gaily-wrapped package out from behind her back and thrust it at him, resuming her seat next to him.

It was only partially unwrapped when he turned into a goldfish. Mouth opening and closing with no words coming out, eyes bugged out at her.

She took the parcel into her lap and finished extracting it from the colorful paper. "You do know what it is, right?" Her voice was uncertain; he hadn't yet shown any indication of like or dislike.

"Are you kidding?" He finally found his voice, and it came back with a vengeance, "Summer…I can't believe you did this. It must have taken you ages to find, there's only a few copies left in circulation, even at Comicon this episode was legend." He raised the comic book off the bed, staring at it in awe, "The original run of Spiderman, episode 17, the first appearance of the Green Goblin." He switched his gaze to his girlfriend, who still looked unsure of herself. "Jay, this is the best present anyone's ever given me, and that includes my 14th birthday, when I got a PS2. I love you. So much." He kissed her firmly, then the two of them lay back on the bed to read the plastic-encased pages of Seth's new comic book.

THE END

So sorry this has taken so long! First my muse, Kelsey, went on a New Year's bender a week late, then he went on holiday. Now he's back and roaring to go, but I'm off to Hamilton Island, and will be unable to get to a computer until I get back. I will be writing though, and will hopefully finish/almost finish the new chapter of _Seceding Link_.

I'm stepping lightly with the issue of Summer's mother – though I do have my theories, as everyone does, I'm trying to keep this as close to canon as possible, and I'm sure more will be revealed about the first Mrs Roberts in the near future. And as for the comment one reviewer made about the closeness of Summer and Ryan, don't worry, I'll never put them together romantically! I just want to show how their relationship has evolved and grown into an actual friendship, like we've seen with Seth and Marissa on the show (think 2.04).

I don't have any idea about Spiderman or comic books in general; I was inspired by the _Coyote Ugly_ scene where Adam Garcia gets a Phantom comic with the first appearance of the Punisher.

Did you guys like my presents? One of the other reasons this took so long was I couldn't decide what the gifts should be beside the Wonder Woman costume. Finally a friend took pity on me and gave me some ideas.

Song is _Anytime_ by Kelly Clarkson.

Finally, after my longest author's note ever, I ask you to please push that…we authors really need to come up with a universal color for that pretty little review button down there. Purple? Mauve? Blue? Indigo? Whatev, reviews make me write faster, peeps!


	11. 311 The Safe Harbor

**The Safe Habor**

**By Somebody's Angel**

_… A desperate man with desperate eyes  
Shouldn't come as no surprise  
We're livin' in a world where you can't trust no one, oh  
We hide from the life we lead  
But it's you and I that plant the seed_

_Broken wife from a broken home  
So now these days, she lives alone  
Packed her clothes, and wore dignity as she went walkin' out  
And it's folks like this that I can see  
Such a newborn touch of clarity…_

Taylor watched Seth and Summer walk hand-in-hand in front of her, watched as Seth unconsciously shortened his strides to match that of his girlfriend's, and how their steps were synchronised without either of them making an effort to do so.

Marissa came up beside her, "Thanks Taylor." She began sincerely, "I know you had to go against your mom, and I'm just so grateful that you didn't let her make the decision for you." She hugged her, and all Taylor could do was hug back, so shocked was she that Marissa Cooper, whom she had hated ever since the taller girl had beaten her to Social Chair in freshman year, was voluntarily touching her. "You have no idea how much this means to Summer." She continued, and Taylor looked at her in confusion. "We've been in the same class since First Grade, and I know this year has been really hard on her. Your friendship lately has been great, and to have shown the kind of loyalty you did tonight…well she'll never forget it."

There was nothing Taylor could thin of that would be an appropriate response, so she merely smiled and nodded. She looked forward to see her friends – and how it excited her that she was finally able to call people that – standing at the door waiting for them.

When the four of them reached the Range Rover, Seth handed the keys to Marissa, who took them without hesitation. Marissa steered her to the passenger side and she resisted, wanting to sit in back with Seth and Summer, who had entered the car without a word.

"Trust me, you don't want to sit in back." Marissa said, and this time Taylor allowed herself to be guided to the front.

She threw a questioning glance at Marissa when they were both seated, and the other girl merely pointed to the rearview mirror, where Seth and Summer could clearly be seen, making out like there was no tomorrow. Taylor quickly turned away, embarrassed to be watching.

"They always do this. Summer has this thing about PDAs, so the most they'd ever do in public is probably a short peck." Marissa explained, starting the car.

Thinking about it, Taylor had to agree with her; though they were almost always touching, it was their fingers that were entwined rather than their tongues.

"So they always 'celebrate' on the way home." Marissa drove out of the carpark and towards the diner on the pier.

Taylor looked at the taller girl with a newfound respect; it was obvious from the way she knew all about Summer's relationship that the two were best friends and really cared about one another. During most of the past two years Taylor had watched Summer's forlorn face every time Marissa blew her off in favour of spending time wither latest love-interest. However now she realised that underneath the surface Marissa wasn't as selfish as she initially appeared, and was actually a great friend. She only hoped that she could show Summer how great a friend she could be as well.

* * *

Seth and Summer pulled apart the instant the car stopped, rearranging their clothes as Marissa and Taylor shared a smirk.

"Coop where's Atwood?" Summer asked as they were led to a booth – their favorite one; they came here so often the manager knew all four by name, and thus they were always given the same booth.

Marissa raised an eyebrow at her friend, obviously amused that she hadn't noticed Ryan's absence before then. "He's on his way, he had to do something first."

Though Seth opened his mouth to ask what that 'something' was exactly, Marissa's nonchalance told Summer that she didn't care to know, so the brunette shook her head slightly at her boyfriend, and he shut his trap.

Summer slid over so Seth could sit down, and rested her head his shoulder as he placed an arm around her shoulders. Pangs of jealousy spread through Taylor as she and Marissa slipped into the other side of the booth. The two were so obviously in love.

She wished she had someone to love her like that.

Ryan walked in and pecked Marissa on the cheek before sliding in next to her. Seth and Marissa gave their orders to the waitress who walked past – greeting them by name, Taylor noticed – but before she could turn to Taylor, Summer spoke up. "I'm not really that hungry, I think I'll just have the milkshake."

The girl nodded and crossed off Summer's apple pie. Taylor absently placed her own order as her mind wandered; how awesome was it that your boyfriend didn't even have to ask what you wanted, he knew you so well that he could order for you? And it wasn't like it was when Taylor's own mother ordered what she wanted Taylor to order, it was what Summer herself wanted.

"Sure Jay, not that hungry, right?" Seth asked with raised eyebrows, after the third time she had filched a spoonful of ice cream from his bowl.

"I didn't want my own ice cream, just a couple bits of yours," she replied, trying to keep a relatively innocent look on her face as she popped the bite into her mouth.

"Yeah, and you didn't want a whole piece of cheesecake either, just part of mine?" Ryan added, pushing her searching spoon away with his fork.

She pouted at him and stole another spoonful of Seth's ice cream.

"Why does he call you Jay?" Taylor asked, not having heard the nickname before.

"Coz she won't let me call her sweetie." Seth replied quickly, smiling sarcastically at his girlfriend.

Summer smiled back just as acerbically, "Well I'm not sweet." She said to him before turning to Taylor, "My middle name's Jordan, and he wanted a special nickname that no-one else calls me."

Taylor grinned, "Aw that's so cute."

Seth swallowed the last of his coffee and nodded, "Apparently she's not food so I can't call her honey or pumpkin or anything like that, and she hits me when I call her Roberts so…"

"So why don't you call her…Summer?" Marissa interjected, causing both Seth and Taylor to roll their eyes.

"Everyone else calls her Summer." He responded simply, and stole a sip of Summer's black-and-white milkshake.

"Hey!" She slapped him on the arm and cradled the glass protectively to her, "That's mine!"

"And who ate half _my_ ice cream?" He countered, making a playful gesture to take the glass back.

* * *

True to her word, Summer allowed Taylor to sleep over at her house that night. Marissa and the boys stayed too, and Taylor couldn't remember the last time so many people had voluntarily spent do much time with her. And though they made a concentrated effort not to let her feel like the fifth wheel, it was inevitable that she did, though she was careful not to show it too much.

The five of them were watching a move – _Red Eye_, as a concession to Summer's Rachel McAdams obsession and the boys' request for a non-chick flick – and Taylor couldn't help but feel a bit left out. Seth and Summer were draped all over one another of the other half of the couch she was sitting on, and Ryan was sharing his armchair with Marissa.

Summer was feeling more comfortable than she had felt the entire year. She was cuddled in her boyfriend's arms with her best friends surrounding her. Marissa was finally back at Harbor, she and Taylor were on the path towards a good friendships, and her relationship with Seth had been nothing but utter bliss for the past few weeks. Even her family life was looking up – the stepmonster was finally gone for good and, if the looked he shared with Julie Cooper, plus the fact that he was not yet home were anything to go by, her father was well on the way towards getting over his pill-popping soon-to-be-ex-wife.

She looked up at Seth, only to find him staring down at her with a soft smile on his face. Leaning up, she kissed him slowly, nibbling on his bottom lip before joining their lips. He kissed her back just as gently, placing butterfly kisses on her nose and each eyelid before capturing her lips again.

_'Cause you, you brought the sunshine  
You changed my whole life  
You showed me love the way it's supposed to be (Supposed to be)  
And you made me see  
And you, you gave me rainbows  
You showed me all you know, about love  
You brought the sun, sunshine on me_

Taking a quick glance around, he observed all three of their friends absorbed in the movie, and took Summer's hand. Though she looked a bit uncomfortable at leaving the others in the living room of her house, she followed him silently out of the room and up the stairs. Shutting and locking her bedroom door behind her, she leaned against it and watched Seth attempt to strike a sexy pose on her bed. He gave her what she guessed was supposed to be a sultry look, but instead she burst out laughing.

The next instant he was across the room with his hand over her mouth, whispering into her hair, "Don't give them a reason to come looking for us."

She shot out her tongue and licked his palm in response. Moving his hand away slightly, she took one of his fingers into her mouth and sucked seductively, grinning as his gaze changed from concerned to lust-filled. She continued until his free hand succeeded on its quest up her shirt, then pulled his lips to hers as he toyed with her bra clasp.

"Thank you for doing this for me," Summer murmured, undoing his belt and backing him up against the bed. Though she didn't want the details – she had given him her permission to do whatever it took to get Taylor on board, but knew that he hadn't exactly gone Demi Moore on her – she knew that he was responsible for Taylor's intervention tonight, and that without the petition they wouldn't have stood a chance.

As much as she had enjoyed having Seth to herself at school, her best friend had been sorely missed, especially when she was avoiding Seth. Take, for example, when he didn't believe her about Taylor and Dean Hess – she had spent her lunch period hiding in a corner of the lounge, alone, while waiting for Seth to find her, as he would inevitably do, wishing that she could talk to her best friend about her troubles.

During their entire school life Marissa had been a constant presence, whether actually by her side or not. And although the blonde had abandoned her for boys early in life, Summer had always know that she would at least see her best friend at school…she hadn't had that luxury all year.

Falling to her knees and bringing Seth's pants down with her, she proceeded to show him just how thankful she really was.

* * *

Summer woke in the half-light of dawn curled up in the center of the bedding they had placed on the living room floor, her head on Seth's abdomen and her feet over Marissa's legs. She looked up and found him still asleep, one hand thrown over his forehead, the other cupped around her own shoulder. She dropped a light kiss on his throat and eased herself away from him slowly so as not to wake him. Sitting up, she pulled her knees to her chest and folded her arms across them, looking around the room at the others scattered across the floor. Marissa was lying parallel to Seth, with Ryan spooning her from behind, while Taylor slept curled into a ball on the other side of Seth. Summer watched her boyfriend sleep a moment, feeling that warm, familiar tightening in her chest that always appeared when she looked at him. A movement in the hallway caught her eye; she waved to her father as he checked in on them on his way to work. He blew her a kiss and exited as silently as he could as she allowed her gaze to wander towards the window. She watched the light changing, watched the sunlight peek over the windowsill and onto the floor.

She was still sitting, entranced by the colors in the sunrise, when Seth opened his eyes. The light streaming through the window made her chestnut hair glimmer a zillion different colours as it tumbled over her shoulders, and her expression was distant and thoughtful. He reached out and put his hand flat on the small of her back.

"Hey," he said softly, trying not to wake the others.

She tipped her head to look at him, resting her cheek against her arm. "Hey."

"Whatcha doing?"

"Baking cookies," she replied, her expression still pensive.

Seth raised himself up on his elbows. "Everything okay?" he asked, his brows furrowed with worry.

"Better than that," she told him, closing her eyes and smiling.

"Then what the hell are you doing all the way over there?"

She stretched out beside him, settling into the curve of his arm. She kissed him, softly at first, slowly, with deliberation, tapping her fingers slowly down his chest, his stomach, over his shoulders and his arms, trailing kisses across his cheek to his ear. "Good morning," she whispered, and pulled his arms around her.

"Morning, Jay." He replied, tightening his arm to bring her mouth back to his.

_Now every hour of every day  
I heed this truth, never walk away, oh  
Cause it's love, and only love alone  
Gonna make a change, better make our own  
So I reach out to the world, my friend  
And I breathe in when the day begins_

"Mmm, we have to get up." She said into his kiss, but made no move to do so.

He kissed a line down her jaw, "We have plenty of time…what time is it?"

"Around six-thirty." She replied without moving from his embrace. He looked at her in confusion, so she elaborated, "My dad left a little while ago, and I know he has early morning rounds on Fridays. And we do not have plenty of time; we have to eat and shower and dress…and -"

"Okay, okay, I get it." Seth interrupted, placing a finger over her lips.

"Morning guys!" Taylor said excitedly, springing to her feet.

"Good morning," Came a voice from behind them, and the three of them turned to see Ryan and Marissa untangling themselves from the covers.

Summer struggled not to smile as Seth kissed her neck softly. "I'd better go have a shower." She got off him and started walking towards the stairs.

"Yeah. Me, too." He started to follow her, tripping over the edge of the blanket in his haste to catch up to her.

"Oh no, you don't." Marissa grabbed hold of Seth's pyjama pants. "We have to be at school at nine." She leaned over his shoulder, her long hair draping down the side of her face. "I get the feeling if you two get into a room alone, we'll never get to school in time for the photo."

He turned his head slightly, so he could see Marissa and chuckled. "Busted."

Summer snickered, though she didn't turn back around, knowing that Marissa and Seth would play hosts for her and get breakfast ready.

When she finished her shower, Summer wandered out to the patio, where breakfast was set up, and sat on the arm of the chair nearest Seth. Reaching out, she snagged his glass of orange juice and idly sipped, before deciding the other half of his bagel looked mighty tasty.

Seth laughed softly as she munched on the piece she'd broken off from his bagel. "Please, help yourself. My food is your food." His voice was dry as she laughed with him.

"Damn straight," She replied, sliding into his lap and feeding him the rest of the bagel.

_Because you, you brought the sunshine  
You change my whole life  
You showed me love the way that it's supposed to be  
And you made me see  
And you, you gave me rainbows  
You showed me all you know, about love  
You brought the sun, sunshine to me_

_Baby, babe  
Said you brought the sun, sunshine to me_

THE END

So sorry this took so long! The past few episodes (barring 3.15) have been so anti-SS that I had very little inspiration…speaking of which, I really need ideas for the next few chaps, especially 3.12 and 3.13 – all suggestions welcome and appreciated!

And I know the beginning of this chap was a little Taylor-focused but I wanted to show the SS relationship from (yet another) different point of view, plus I hate Marissa so the Summer/Marissa friendship had to be shown through someone else's eyes coz everytime I tried to do it through Summer's it turned bad.

Song is _You Brought the Sunshine_ by Kate DeAraugo.


	12. 312 The Sister Act

**The Sister Act**

**By Somebody's Angel**

"Yes! That is exactly what I…said …" Seth stumbled over his words, and Summer's eyes widened in realisation.

"You told her he had genital warts! Come on!" She ignored the people looking at them at the mention of 'genital warts', and balled her hand into a fist. Turning towards him, she let loose with a punch to his shoulder. At least she had intended to hit his shoulder. But since he was also turning to face her, her fist ended up connecting with his cheekbone. Hard.

As was the natural human response when encountering pain, Seth covered the injured part with his hands, and scowled at his girlfriend.

"Omigod!" Summer covered her mouth with her hands for a moment, then moved to take his face in her hands, "Sorry Cohen, I didn't meant to hit you there!"

"So you _meant_ to hit me?" He responded, turning away from her, lest she should see the tears that had appeared in his eyes.

Guilt flooded through her body, and she silently wrapped her arms around him from behind, laying her head in between his shoulder blades. "I'm sorry, Seth."

He covered her hands with his, and they stood there for a few moments, the simple embrace banishing all thoughts of intentional malice from their minds.

Loosening her arms from around him, Summer took one of his hands and led him into the kitchen. She sat him on one of the island stools, and plunged a towel in the ice bucket. At the first touch of cold on his warm skin, Seth flinched away, but Summer followed him, and soon he relished the cool against his sore flesh.

"Of course I didn't _mean_ to hit you." Summer said, dipping the towel back into the ice.

"I know, I just find it interesting how your hand connected with my face." He continued talking as she gently pressed the makeshift compress on his red cheekbone.

Before she could respond, Taylor came and interrupted their moment with her babble about considering Summer her sister. Seth was amused at his girlfriend's instant concession, and it must have unintentionally shown on his face, for she threw a quick warning glare at him. He wondered if it was only guilt and debt that gave the blonde so much power over Summer – did she really feel so indebted to the girl who was the turning factor in Marissa being allowed back to Harbor that she was willing to allow Taylor to call her 'sis'?

Apparently so, for a moment later Taylor was saying goodbye to her 'sis', and finally disappeared. Seth screwed up his face in an imitation of the girls' newfound closeness.

Summer wasn't amused, "What, you want another black eye?"

His face instantly smoothed out, giving her a pitiful look.

"Oh, don't look at me that way. You fight dirty, using puppy dog eyes. Some poor dog is going around blind now." Seth resisted the urge to grin or counter, and continued with the piteous look, seeing in her expression that she was close to caving.

"Fine!" She threw up her hands, "I'm sorry for punching you, Cohen, even if you did tell Taylor Townsend that my dad has genital warts."

"Did you really want Veronica Townsend as your future step mother?" He replied simply, puppy dog eyes forgotten.

She chose not to answer the question he already knew the answer to, "Let's go to my place and I'll make it up to you." The lack of seductive tone made the offer all the more enticing for Seth; he knew she wasn't merely offering her body as an act of contrition.

………………………………

"You know if this college thing doesn't work out for you, you could have a very lucrative career as a masseuse." Seth was very relaxed as he lay face down on the plush cream carpet on the floor of Summer's bedroom in his pants and collared shirt.

She laughed. "You're just saying that because I've got you pinned down." She was sitting on his butt massaging his back, neck, and shoulders.

He smiled and shook his head slightly, "I'm enjoying this far too much to argue with you."

Summer was frustrated at the way his shirt kept bunching up underneath her hands. "Cohen, this isn't working too well. Take your shirt off."

"You're going to have to help me then, I seem to have someone sitting on my butt." He quipped.

She smirked as she began to tug at the hem of his shirt, "Are you trying to say that I'm too heavy?"

Seth chuckled as he tugged at the top of his shirt, "Not on your life."

"Good." Summer kneeled up enough for him to turn around underneath her, and settled back astride his hips to help him unbutton his shirt.

The third time she moved against him, he let out a groan and gripped her waist with his hands. He moved his hands up to the back of her head in an effort to bring her mouth to his, but she evaded his clutches, and flung open the white shirt with a flourish. He shrugged out of the shirt, and reached for her again.

"Cohen." She warned, pressing his hands to his newly-bared chest. "Turn over." Her voice was slightly raised the next time she removed his hands from her body. "I'm warning you, Seth." Her eyes flashed anger, and instantly he dropped his hands to the floor, and obediently turned back to face the floor.

Summer grinned, loving the power that she had over him, even though it was also fun when he disobeyed her, he always knew exactly when to stop mucking around.

Resuming her massage, she watched the way Seth's muscles moved under pressure from her hands, the way his subtle body shifts let her know where he wanted continued pressure. She ran her hands down his sides, and marvelled at how much he had filled out in two short years, though he remained what popular society would class as 'skinny'. She had never been into those really buff types…even Luke and Ryan were a little too built for her liking – while sober anyway – but she hadn't even thought she'd fall for a guy with hips smaller than hers. A smile grew on her face as she remembered her first period English Lit class a week ago.

…FLASHBACK…

Marissa waved at Summer from her position across the room, indicating the empty desk next to her. The brunette smiled and made her way towards her friend, glad that they shared classes once again.

"Morning," Marissa said, looking at the bottom of her jeans, "Those are Seth's aren't they?"

Summer looked down at the hem of the legs, at the extra material pooling around her sneakers, and smiled, "They are, very comfortable actually. Sad thing is, I don't have to wear a belt, his waist's smaller than my hips by two inches."

"But they ride low don't they?" she asked, looking at them sitting low enough to show some skin below Summer's fitted tee.

"Not really," The shorter girl replied, shaking her head as they opened their books, "But I've already told him I'm going to steal them. Then he said he wouldn't put it past me. The closest thing I have to these are boyfriend-cut DKNY jeans. But these are nice and broke in."

"So technically, he could wear your jeans too," Marissa grinned.

Summer thought about it a second and began chuckling, "He could wear all of my clothes probably. I'll have to mention that to him."

She began laughing, and Marissa joined her, knowing they were both probably thinking of the same thing. The teacher frowned at them a second later, and they attempted to calm down.

…END FLASHBACK…

_Hmmm…I'll have to point that out to him_, Summer thought, and then burst out laughing at the image that floated into her mind, pushing the heel of her palm into Seth's back too hard in her preoccupation.

"Ow!" Seth whined, attempting to move out from under her.

"Oh, sorry honey!" She exclaimed, lifting her weight off him, and allowing him to sit up.

They faced one another, knee-to-knee, fingers intertwined in his lap, and stared into liquid brown pools that matched their own. No words were spoken, and the only noises were their gentle breaths and Firehouse playing softly on the stereo.

_I see forever when I look in your eyes  
You're all I ever wanted, I always want you to be mine  
Let's make a promise 'till the end of time  
We'll always be together, and our love will never die_

_So here we are face to face and heart to heart  
I want you to know we will never be apart  
Now I believe that wishes can come true  
'Cause I see my whole world  
I see only you_

_When I look into your eyes  
I can see how much I love you  
And it makes me realize  
When I look into your eyes  
I see all my dreams come true  
When I look into your eyes_

Finally Seth broke the silence, "Well, what should we do now?"

"I can think of several things, but, how 'bout we start with this," she leaned down and began kissing and lightly biting his neck. "And then maybe a little of this," she moved up to his ear and whorled her tongue around and in it, causing him to shiver. "Then I thought we could do this," she kissed him hard, dipping her tongue into his mouth to tease him. "And maybe we could finish with some of this," she slid her hand down to the front of his pants where his growing arousal had become very evident. "How does that sound?" she asked in a tone of complete and total innocence.

He launched himself forward with a growl, knocking her onto her back on the pillows, "you, Summer Roberts, are a tease." As he ran a hand over her breasts, it was her turn to shiver, and he chuckled as their lips met in a passionate kiss.

Later, the only light in the room was the red glow of the clock on the nightstand. Summer reached over and lay the clock face down, so the entire room was dark. She turned around, feeling Seth's arm around her naked form but not being able to see his face.

"Did you know," she said, "That even in the dark, I know exactly where you are?"

He smiled, though neither could appreciate it because Summer couldn't see it and thus there would be no mirrored grin on her face for Seth to enjoy, "Oh really," he said, "Prove it."

She ran her hand from the top of his hairline down the side of his face until she reached his cheek.

He laughed, "Well, you succeeded. You didn't poke me in the eye."

Summer couldn't help but laugh herself, "I can prove it another way."

"How?" Seth challenged, readying himself for a touch somewhere else on his body.

She pressed her lips directly on his, not missing by even an inch. He smiled against her lips, returning the gesture tenderly. Her arm went around his neck as they separated.

"Pretty good, huh?" he felt her breath caress his lips, and knew she was mere inches away though he couldn't even make out the outline of her head.

"Yeah, but now I don't need to find you, you're right in front of me!" He pulled her lips back to his – missing a perfect joining by a fraction of an inch – and dragged her to lie completely on top of him.

_I've looked for you all of my life  
Now that I've found you, we will never say goodbye  
I can't stop this feeling and there's nothing I can do  
'Cause I see everything, when I look at you_

_When I look into your eyes  
I can see how much I love you  
And it makes me realize  
When I look into your eyes  
I see all my dreams come true  
When I look into your eyes_

_When I look into you eyes  
I can see how much I love you  
And it makes me realize  
When I look into you eyes  
We will always be together, and our love will never die  
When I look into your eyes  
I see all my dreams come true  
When I look into your eyes  
When I look into your eyes_

………………………………

The next morning, Summer crawled out of bed while Seth was still dead to the world. Or so she thought.

"What are you doing?" he grumbled, groping blindly for the covers she had inadvertently pulled off.

"I have to go to school," she replied sweetly, "go back to sleep."

"Summer," he said, opening his eyes and glancing at the clock, "it's 6:30 in the morning."

"I know this."

"So, I repeat – what are you doing?"

"I can't sleep," she whined as she moved around the room picking up their scattered clothes, "I went to sleep at, like, 9 last night, which is all your fault, by the way, so now I'm wide awake. God, this sucks. Now my whole schedule is all messed up."

"How is this my fault?"

"I don't know. I needed someone to blame."

"Can I make it up to you?"

"However are you going to do that?" Summer flirted, standing at the foot of the bed, clad only in Seth's button-up shirt from last night.

He sat up and pulled her on top of him. "Have I ever told you how sexy you look in my shirt?"

She giggled and rubbed her nose against his. "No," she said, in between kisses, "I don't believe you have."

"Well then. You look…incredibly…sexy…wearing…my clothes." His words were drawn out as he slowly unbuttoned the shirt, revealing more and more tanned flesh. The sight of her naked skin still left him speechless, despite having seen every part of her numerous times.

"Mm…you could wear my clothes, you know." Summer whispered, her lips millimetres from his as her fingers snaked under the sheets covering him to the waist.

"What?" Was the only word Seth manager to get out, before Summer's hand found her goal and all his thoughts were reduced to single syllables.

THE END

So sorry this took so long! Was completely uninspired by the last few episodes; even 3.15 wasn't all that great in relation to SS. Am working really hard to try and get the other chaps up before the OC starts again next week, but coz I've started back at uni this week I can't make any promises.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed, especially those of you who left detailed ones – I love hearing about your favorite lines! And as for the question of my country of residence…I live in Sydney, Australia, so to all you non-Americans who think you guys are behind – we've just had ep 3.05! Yeah I'm a spoiler-junkie, I know.


	13. 313 The Pot Stirrer

**The Pot Stirrer**

**By Somebody's Angel**

Summer was so absorbed in her newly-edited Brown class schedule that she didn't notice the person in her room until they were right next to her bed.

"Hey sweetheart." Her father said, his voice starling her out of her haze.

"Oh!" She looked up quickly, "Dad, you scared me!" She sat up as he sat down, and the two of them remained in silence for a few moments, simply looking around the pink room that held all of Summer's memories.

Her bulletin board was covered with pictures of herself and her friends, spanning all her school years. The changes in her were evident in the smiles illustrated; from fake and slightly drunk with Holly, to hesitant ones with Anna, and the more recent ones were fully blown grins that matched the sparkle in her eyes as her photo-self stood with arms around Marissa and Taylor. On her mirror was her Seth-collection, many of the salvaged by Marissa after her anti-boys rampage last year. She took in the clothes – a jumbled collection of hers, Seth's and Marissa's – overflowing from the basket in her ensuite, and the clean ones hung on coat hangers from doorknobs and drawers, _I really should clean this place up a bit…or better yet, I should get Cohen to clean it for me, he's pretty good at keeping his own room tidy._

Neil Roberts looked around his daughter's room, seeing evidence of Seth and his influence on Summer's life everywhere he glanced. On her bedside table a photo of the two of them had taken the spot previously occupied by her mother's picture; a man's t-shirt was draped over the armchair, and more male clothes hung over the edge of the cane basket she used as a dirty clothes basket. An iPod mini sat next to her stereo, and he knew neither Summer nor Marissa had a silver one. Her laptop sat on her desk, its screen saver a montage of photos, all featuring Seth.

He took a deep breath, knowing his daughter wasn't going to like what he was about to say. "Summer, I wanted to talk to you about college." He was uncomfortable with the blunt sentence, but could see no other way to bring up the subject.

"What about it?" She looked genuinely puzzled…_Doesn't she had any idea what this boy is doing to her?_ Neil thought, picking up the class schedule she'd abandoned and flicking through it before he returned his eyes to Summer's.

"I'm just concerned that this boy – Seth–" he amended when seeing her frown, "That Seth is having a little too much influence on you. Four months ago you were adamant about staying on the East Coast, and now you're having interviews with Brown representatives? Honey you know that's an Ivy League School, it's very hard to get into."

Summer's smile had dropped the second she heard 'concerned' and 'Seth' in the same sentence, and now it was gone altogether. Hadn't her father seen her SAT scores, read the mid-year report she'd placed on his desk before New Year's? Ever since getting her results and being encouraged by Dr Kim, she'd been studying her ass of, and it had shown in her end-of-semester exams.

"Dad…" She began, but trailed off, unable to find the right words to express what she was feeling.

"And then I find this-" Her father held up the 'Providence' flyer, "So you're going to follow a boy across the country even if you don't get into his school? I don't think-"

"Dad it's because of Seth that I can even contemplate going to Brown!" She finally interrupted, having had more than enough of his ignorant blathering. "Before I got involved with him I would have had trouble getting into _any_ college. But he's helped me change, allowed me to see that they're more to life than boys and fashion. I got 2300 on my SATs Dad, that's almost a perfect score." She continued, and the shocked look on his face told her that no, he had not seen the results she'd given him. "I did better than Seth. Dr Kim said I've got aptitude but never applied myself properly, and if you actually _looked_ at my report cards occasionally, you'd know that I've been working really hard these past couple of months." She shook her head sadly, grabbing Princess Sparkle from the pillow behind her, "And as for following Seth, I _want_ to go to Brown. I know I've never had a dream before, but now I've realised that I would like to do something important with my life. And I love Seth, Daddy." He voice was softer now, not as angry, and her use of the word 'daddy' made Neil see her as his little girl again, even as she was explaining how another man had stolen her heart.

"I know you'll try and dismiss it as a simple high school crush, but I don't believe it is. I really do love him, and I know he loves me." She continued, fingering the pink satin of her comforter. "We don't know what will happen in the future, but we both know that at the moment we care about one another more than anything. Even if we don't make it in the future, I owe it to him, to myself to at least give it a shot. And I can't do that from across the country so…"

She allowed the words to hang in the air, and Neil stared at her, unable to fathom how she had grown up without him noticing. It seemed like yesterday she had been a shy, awkward little girl whose grief was palpable when her mother left. He knew the first Mrs Roberts' departure had made a huge impact on 13-year-old Summer, knew that even before that their little girl was bringing herself up, the two of them far too busy with their careers and their separate lives to pay much attention to the child who had brought them together. It was obvious to him from the time he had first seen her drunk and then hungover – at 14! – that his baby was growing up way too fast, but he had no clue how to stop it. And though he had denied it at first, he liked Seth…or more accurately, liked what Seth brought out in his daughter.

He decided to tell her so, "I like Seth."

Summer did a double take, "What?"

"I think he's good for you. You're right, he has helped you focus more on your studies, and for that I'll be eternally grateful to him. And I get what you were saying about giving things a shot with the two of you…"

"But?" She prompted.

"But I just want to make sure that whatever you do, you do it for yourself and not for him. I just want you to be happy, so if Seth makes you happy…"

Summer's grin was back, and she threw her arms around her father, hugging him in a way that she hadn't done in a very long time.

When they pulled apart, Neil checked his daughter's hand and found Princess Sparkle still clutched in her fingers. "So that's what was digging into my back."

"Omigod, sorry dad." She exclaimed, but his twinkling smile told her he wasn't at all mad.

He gently pried her fingers off the purple horse, and took it into his hand. "I remember when you first got this." He said, reminiscent tone evident in his voice.

Summer searched her memory but couldn't remember a time before the Princess had come onto the scene. "Wait, I didn't get if for like my first birthday or something, did I?"

Neil smiled, "No." He paused, and she motioned him to continue. "It was your sixth birthday, just before you started first grade. You invited the entire class to the party, and it was the first time I'd met all the friends you'd been babbling about all year."

…FLASHBACK…

Six-year-old Seth Cohen pressed a pink-and-purple present into young Summer's hand, and thought she was delighted with the colors – they were her favorite colors after all – she quickly pulled away when their hands touched.

"Ew, do _not_ touch me, I don't wanna get _boy_ germs!" She shrieked, setting the present on the table by the front door and running off to tell Marissa what had happened.

Seth watched her go, her pink party dress swinging around her legs the same way her chestnut curls did around her face. He really wanted her to open the present now, so he wouldn't have to spend too much time surrounded by his fellow students who loved nothing more than to tease him about his comics and Captain Oats.

Later, when the large majority of kids were gone, Summer sat with her father, Marissa and Marissa's dad to open her presents. Most of them were the usual overpriced, totally impersonal gifts one expected when in Newport, and Summer barely glanced at any of them, but the smallest box she stared into for a long time.

"She's beautiful." Summer breathed, carefully extracting the purple My Little Pony from its pink-and-purple wrapped box.

"What are you going to name her?" Marissa asked, knowing her friend's habit of naming every toy she so much as touched.

"I think I'll call her…Sparkle Pony…no!…Princess Sparkle."

…END FLASHBACK…

"Seth gave me Princess Sparkle?" She asked in shock, unable to fathom how she kept finding connections between them even before they had known they had a connection. _I guess we really were meant to be,_ she thought, and then immediately shook her head, _we are **not** a romantic cliché!_

Neil's pager beeped loudly, starling both off Memory Lane. "It's the hospital." He said upon checking the display, "It's an emergency."

Summer rolled her eyes, "What, did someone's fake boob burst?"

He gave her a Look, "Summer, I've told you before, not all plastic surgery is voluntary. Burns victims, people in car accidents, all these people may need plastic surgery."

"I know," She conceded, "Sorry."

"It's OK." He assured her, getting up from the bed, "I don't know what time I'll be home sweetheart, so goodnight. I'll see you tomorrow." He kissed her on the forehead and left the room.

"Bye Dad." She called to his retreating figure, picking up the abandoned Princess Sparkle and holding her close, suddenly feeling extremely lonely. She was alone in her huge house, her father at work and her stepmother long gone. Seth was at his house, and had been rather distant the past couple of days, so she wasn't about to go over there, not until he got out of whatever funk he was in. And Marissa was…somewhere, with Ryan most probably, and she didn't want to interrupt her best friend while the blonde was spending time alone with her boyfriend.

Picking up the Brown class schedule, Summer lay back on her bed and turned up her stereo. The melodic tunes of Kelly Clarkson floated through the air, and she thought about what her father had said, how Seth had changed her life for the better.

_I wonder how I ever make it through a day  
How did I settle for the world in shades of gray  
When you go in circles all the scenery looks the same  
And you don't know why  
And I looked into your eyes  
Where the road stretched out in front of me  
And I realized_

_I'd never live  
Before your love  
I'd never felt  
Before your touch  
And I'd never needed anyone  
To make me feel alive  
But then again,  
I wasn't really livin'_

_I'd never lived…  
Before your love_

_I wanted more than just an ordinary life  
All of my dreams, seemed like castles in the sky  
I stand before you and my heart is in your hands  
And I dont know why  
I'd survive without your kiss  
Cuz you've given me  
A reason to exist_

_I'd never lived  
Before your love  
I'd never felt  
Before your touch  
I'd never needed anyone  
To make me feel alive  
But then again,  
I wasn't really livin'_

_I'd never lived…  
I'd never lived…  
Before your love_

_I'd never lived  
Before your love_

_And I don't know why  
Why the sun decides to shine  
But you've breathed your love into me just in time  
I'd never lived  
Before your love  
I'd never felt  
Before your touch  
I'd never needed anyone  
To make me feel alive  
But then again  
I wasn't really livin'_

_I'd never lived  
I'd never lived  
Before!…  
Your!…  
Love!… OHHH!_

THE END

So it was a loooong time coming, and it's really really short, and I'm sorry for making you guys wait so long, but it was kinda out of my control. What's euphemistically known as 'technical difficulties' – my laptop's "impending hardware failure" has finally occurred, and I only get limited time on the communal desktop, so both this chap and the 3.15 chap have been hand written for a while now but I didn't have time to get them typed up.

And I know Summer's dad left earlier in the episode, but he came back or whatever – it's a fiction story peeps! I wrote this coz a lot of people have been asking about Dr Roberts' relationship with Seth/Summer…figured I'd kill two birds with one stone and bring up the college thing as well as his opinion of Seth. As for the flashback, I've always had this idea that Seth would have given her Princess Sparkle, and the Chrismukkah ep, with the connection between them as kids, gave me further inspiration. Again I'm treading lightly with the issue of Summer's mom – I purposely didn't say her first name, coz I know it's gonna come up sometime in the future, and I guarantee I won't pick the name Josh eventually picks.

Just to insert my opinion, the latest episode (The Undertow), though hilarious, was totally unrealistic in terms of what happened with Seth and Summer - as if they haven't already figured out that make-up sex was totally hot! - and from the looks of things in 3.15 and 3.16 they have _no_ problem with intimacy or a lack of attraction to one another. However, having now seen it, I'm going to try and incorporate a little less intimacy in the 3.16/17 chapters of TTA so as to make it more believable...sorry guys, no sex for either of those chaps.


	14. 314 The Cliffhanger

**The Cliffhanger**

**By Somebody's Angel**

_…Something I've been keeping locked away behind my lips  
I can feel it breaking free with each and every kiss  
I couldn't bear to hurt you but it's all so different now  
Things that I was sure of, they have filled me up with doubt…  
"Breathing" by Yellowcard_

"So is there anything else you need to tell me? 'Cause now's your chance, just put it out on the table." Summer looked so sincere, so confident that she would be able to accept anything he told her, that Seth almost, _almost_, blurted out the other reason why he had blown off the Brown interview. But then he saw her face in his mind when he told her he had smoked pot. Disappointed, embarrassed to have such a juvenile boyfriend, incredulous that he would smoke alone in his bedroom.

So he didn't. "No." He mumbled, and though he could barely hear the word, he knew that his head shake clarified what he was hesitant to actually express. It wasn't _really_ a lie, more like an omission. He really had been scared of the interview, for the exact reasons he had already conveyed…but skipping the interview hadn't even been contemplated until he got high.

She smiled, and he could tell she was grateful he hadn't brought out any more skeletons, though she already knew about most of his attempted secrets. "Ok. Then you are officially exonerated." He raised his eyebrows at her in question and she relented, "Thesaurus again."

Simultaneously they tilted their heads and leaned in for a brief kiss, and Seth found himself marvelling at how in tune they were with one another, even after a brief fight…if five minutes of explaining could count as a fight (which it did in Seth-and-Summer world, because their fights hardly ever lasted much longer than that without some kind of apology).

They sat in silence for a moment after breaking the kiss, each looking around the room as they pondered the meaning of these latest declarations. Both had insecurities about this relationship, and up until this moment they had thought that they were overcoming them together…but once again it was the things they didn't say out loud that spoke volumes.

Summer's eyes roamed over the bulletin board above Seth's desk, grinning inwardly at the number of 'Little Miss Vixen' drawings that were pinned up. She knew they were mostly the ones he had done in their summer apart, but the fact that he had kept them told her everything she needed to know about his feelings for her. The amazing likeness that was illustrated, coupled with the knowledge that he had drawn them while thousands of miles away emphasised how much he had cherished the time he had been able to examine her features, both before and while they were…anything. Her favorite was the portrait that he had done only twelve months ago, and it brought back many memories of that night, both fond and regrettable. The sketch reminded her of the night she had finally realised she wasn't over Seth – the first night in a long time that she had remembered exactly what was missing in her relationship with Zach; the sexual tension. Seth's body next to hers, his hand holding hers, their lips mere inches apart as they stared into one another's eyes, the heat radiating off his body, heat that she hadn't felt ever since she'd opened the envelope addressed to 'Summer' in his sloppy handwriting. Her regret was that she hadn't obliged her body by closing the space between their lips that night, that her stubborn mind had forced them to exist apart for another month while her heart and her body concentrated on the memory of that night to merely survive.

He exhaled loudly, and she concentrated on his face again, knowing he was about to speak. "Wanna get down?"

"Cohen!" She hissed, slapping the hand that was teasing the exposed skin at her waist. He grasped her fingers and kissed them gently, reverently. "Cohen, your parents are downstairs!" She said quickly, attempting to control her hormones.

"So?" He whispered against the skin of her wrist, further syllables stolen by the scent of her strawberry body wash.

"So, it's 7:30 in the…oh…morning, we…we have to go…mmm…go to school." He moved his lips to her ear, and she was barely able to get the words out.

Seth continued kissing her, moving slowly across her cheek, then her jaw, finally claiming her luscious mouth.

Summer wound her arms around his neck and deepened their contact, unable to resist any longer. She nibbled his lower lip to get him to open his mouth, and when he did she assaulted him with her tongue, claiming the places she knew so well.

He pushed her down gently with his weight so that she was lying underneath him, and moved his hands from her back to her stomach, pushing up her top slightly and teasing her stomach with his fingers. She moaned against him, working her own hands under his sweater to run her hands up and down his back. She rolled him onto his back, which, given that they had been lying on the very edge of the bed, sent them both onto the floor.

He groaned, and she laughed, "Sorry honey." Moving off him, she got to her feet and extended a hand to help him up. He tried to pull her back down, but she was wary of his tricks, and resisted his weight.

"C'mon Cohen, we gotta go to school." She pulled him up forcefully, and placed a light kiss on his lips before flouncing out of the room.

He looked down at his pants – now quite a bit tighter than five minutes earlier – and back up to his now-empty room. "You go on ahead, I'll catch up."

…………………

There was a serious lack of oxygen in the Range Rover. The windows were starting to steam up. Seth reached a free hand out and turned on the defogger without moving his lips away from Summer's. They were sitting in the parking lot at Harbor making out like true teenagers. All clothing remained intact and hands were being more than respectable, sifting through hair, dragging against small exposures of soft skin, just holding.

"We should probably go in," Summer breathed when the current kiss had ended.

"We should," Seth replied, still just inches from her face, and then smiled. "But we won't."

"I'd forgotten how great this is," She commented, brushing stray hairs off of his forehead gently. "Just making out." She referred, of course, to the previous few weeks in which their time alone had been so precious that simple kisses had been forgone in favor of sating their more carnal desires.

"It is nice, isn't it? Or maybe it's just you," He said sincerely, leaning forward to brush his lips against her forehead. He wondered why he had ever considered jeopardising this for such a simple thing as fear. As much as he was scared out of his mind at the thought of going away to college with Summer, now that he had experienced her love there was no way he was going to let her go without a fight.

"I don't know," She replied. "I think you might have something to do with it, too."

"I _am_ multi-talented." He accented this statement by nipping her ear lightly, causing her to gasp.

"So I've…oh…noticed."

Seth was again leaning forward, his lips hanging above hers for a few seconds, basking in the feel of warm, sweet breath so close to his own. Summer's eyes were beginning to close involuntarily when she moved a hand up against his shoulder to hold him off.

"We _have_ to go in now, we've already missed first period," she warned, sparkle never fading from her eyes.

"Five more minutes," he almost whined, tightening his arms around her and caressing her hair.

"That's what you said a half hour ago," was all that she managed to get out before her lips were, yet again, busy doing something more constructive.

………………

"Hey, you were supposed to turn back there." Summer pointed out on the way to her house that afternoon. "How many times have you travelled to my house and you don't know the way yet? See, this is why I always drive, coz men don't know when to stop and ask-"

"I've known how to get to your house since I was twelve, Jay." He interrupted, shooting a Look at her. "But I want to take you somewhere first."

"Where?"

"Just chill, we'll be there in a sec."

It was a whole 120 seconds later that the car was actually parked at their destination, and as they exited the car Summer looked around, decidedly underwhelmed; they were at the most popular make-out spot in Newport.

"Cohen we were going to my house, to my _bedroom_, so why have you brought me to Broughton Park? You do remember you've rounded home, right? More than once, I might add."

"Wow, a sports metaphor I actually understand." Seth sounded vaguely impressed with himself. But when she stomped her foot he quickly continued, "I just wanted to go somewhere different for once."

He reached out for her hand, intertwining her fingers with his as he tugged her back towards the midnight black Range Rover. He hopped up on the hood, pulling her up with him as they settled on the vehicle. The metal protested at the weight at first, denting only slightly from their indentations. They rested their backs flat on the still warm hood; the engine making pining sounds as at cooled its self down.

Still holding her hand in his, he pointed up towards the clouds, his eyes struggling to make out some form or definition in the shapeless clouds.

"What do you think that one is?"

Summer squinted her eyes, her heart racing as Seth traced small patterns with his fingers against her hand. She felt so comfortable, so loved.

"I'd say it's a rabbit?" She said in question, laughing as she looked over and saw him concentrating to see what she saw.

After a few minutes he shook his head, "A rabbit? No way... it's more like a hand giving a peace sign."

Summer rolled her eyes, "Alright Mr. Smarty pants... what's that one?" Her elegant finger pointed towards the sky, both of their heads leaning in towards one another as Seth tried to see what she was pointing at from her perspective.

He could feel the warmth from her body, her breath on his neck as she turned to look at him. The cloud was suddenly forgotten, her hand lowering as Seth turned his head further. Their noses were just an inch apart, Summer's lips parting slightly. He turned on his side a bit more, wanting to study her, wanting to capture this image of her in his mind forever.

His hand came up to trace a few errant strands of hair off of her face, his fingers lingering against her skin.

"You're so beautiful Jay." He whispered out loud, the thoughts in his head filtering through his mouth before he could stop them.

Summer's breath hitched in her throat, her heart jack hammering in her chest as she felt a nervousness flutter inside of her stomach. "You're not so bad yourself Cohen." She purred, her voice sounding odd even to her.

She knew he was going to kiss her, her tired mind focusing solely on that. Her tongue reached out softly to coat her lips in a thin sheen of moisture.

His eyes grew dark, his face slowly hovering towards her. The fingers that were lightly resting on her skin, turned to cup her cheek, tilting her head to a better angle. The wind whipped around them as he slowly lowered his lips to hers, teasing her with his closeness but not touching her. Her eyes were drowning in his deep chocolate ones, her whole body waiting in anticipation.

His lips softly pushed against her own, so tenderly Summer felt her heart melting into a pile of mush. He applied only the faintest amount of pressure, the kiss remaining chaste as he attempted to erase all the hurt he had caused her by lying to her, along with the guilt he felt for not telling her the whole truth. He pulled away as slowly as he had approached, a tiny grin in the corner of his lips. She smiled, her hand moving to wrap around his neck, pulling him back down and smashing her lips against his.

He groaned, the feel of her mouth against his own, the feel of her tongue tracing the seam of his lips. He parted his mouth, both tongues sweeping against one another as the kiss deepened. They lay there for several minutes, the warm rays of sun beating off the black metal of the hood as they embraced, exploring each other's mouths. Seth nibbled on her lower lip, breaking the kiss only long enough for them to fill their lungs with air.

She pressed her body against his, her free hand settling on his jean-clad hip, her breasts pushing against his hard chest. He rolled their bodies slightly, the metal beneath them denting even further as he settled some of his weight on top of her. She moaned, feeling his hard arousal pressing into her hip. He kissed her passionately, teeth barely scraping, lips molding as one.

Time slowly passed, the sun rising higher in its ascent, as they were both content to just kiss each other. He broke away panting, eyes still closed, resting his head on her chest.

"Wow." He breathed, feeling the pounding of her heart against his face.

Summer laughed softly, threading her fingers through his hair. She could not have said it better herself.

They both gave a small laughing as the dent of where he had just been popped back out. "Maybe we should get off before we dent it for real, your dad would kill us." Summer suggested.

He nodded, Seth slipping off the hood as he helped Summer down. She was about to protest his help, knowing damn well she could do it on her own, but she stopped, letting him put his strong hands on her waist. They stood their, looking into each other's eyes as he backed her up so the back of her legs were resting against the grill.

"I love you, Seth." For once Summer spoke first, and the sincerity in her tone caused Seth's heart to beat a little faster, knowing that she truly meant the words.

"I love you too, Summer."

THE END

Two updates in less than a week! Wow you guys really are special. This is what happens when you're attempting to simultaneously watch the Oscars and not die of boredom, lol. Uni's started back again last week, so I definitely won't have time to finish both chapters by the end of this week, but I will try v. v. hard to get one more out before 3.16 is shown. General ideas for fluffiness are appreciated as well as specific episode ones – I don't like to have them having sex in every chap and would love some ideas for other general cute couple stuff that I can fit into the eps.


	15. 315 The Heavy Lifting

**The Heavy Lifting**

**By Somebody's Angel**

"Ew!" Summer proclaimed, wrinkling her nose.

She turned away but Seth grabbed her hand, pulling her flush against him. "Hey," He said softly, cupping her face in his palms and kissing her tenderly. Knowing her aversion to public displays of affection, he kept the kiss soft, but pressed their lips together for a long time, until both of them were gasping for breath. It was one of the most romantic kisses she had ever experienced, and she could feel all the emotion he was pouring into the simple connection of lips. "Happy Valentine's Day," he said when he finally pulled back, moving forward to peck her lips once more before resting his forehead against hers.

She grinned widely and opened her eyes for the first time since his palms had enclosed her face, staring into chocolate brown eyes that matched her own. "Mmm," she licked her lips, tasting him in her cherry lipgloss. "I think your shot won you the game," she whispered, gently extracting herself from his embrace. "I'll give you your prize later." She murmured in his ear, moving away almost before he had processed the seductive tone in her voice.

Ryan took her place beside him almost immediately, albeit not nearly as close as Summer had been 20 second prior. "So she forgave you?" If was more of a statement than a question, as most of Ryan's questions were; outright questions which required an actual answer forced him to speak too much.

"She forgave me." Seth repeated, "And yet again I am all about the grand gestures." Ryan tilted his head in question, so the brunette elaborated, "I wrote out all my most recent sins and said she could give it to my parents if I ever lie to her again."

The blonde raised his eyebrows and nodded in acknowledgement of Seth's not-so-selfless gesture. "Smart."

"That's what Summer said." He replied, chest puffed out in pride. His body suddenly went rigid as a pair of arms wrapped around his waist from behind, and Ryan had to fight not to smile at the shocked look on Seth's face.

Summer slid her hand out of Seth's front pocket, and played with the hem of his shirt, slipping her fingers underneath the striped fabric to trace light fingers across his abdomen.

Just as Seth recovered and reached for his girlfriend's hands, she kissed the back of his neck and twisted gracefully away, disappearing into the crowd of people on the dancefloor. Throwing a confused look Ryan's way, he reached into his pocket and extracted a beige and black thong.

Ryan's faced was still utterly perplexed, however Seth's eyes lit up when he saw the skimpy lingerie. _She's going commando,_ the phrase ran through his head three or four times, accompanied by corresponding pictures, before he realised Ryan was speaking to him.

"…the hell, Seth?"

"Summer took off my mom's underwear."

Ryan's face contorted horribly as he processed both the insinuation of Seth's answer and the elation on his brother's face. "OK, _what_ did you just say?"

Seeing from his face that it was the context rather than the words his brother didn't understand, Seth elaborated, "Dad and I both bought stuff from Victoria's Secret for our respective ladies, the bags got mixed up and I got slapped coz dad bought mom 'this'." He indicated the thong, and Ryan again fought laughter at the way Seth neatly turned everything onto his father. "Summer got pissed and didn't give me the chance to explain, so she wore it tonight…and has apparently now…taken it off!" Seth's face grew excited again as he realised the implications of what he was saying, and he ran off after his girlfriend, leaving Ryan even more confused and disgusted.

Summer was waiting for him at the entrance of the event, and grinned slyly at him as he approached. He pinched her butt as he walked past, "Hey!" She ran and jumped on his back, forcing him to give her a piggy back all the way to the parking lot.

……………………

Nickelback's _Animals_ blared out of the stereo the moment Summer turned the key in the ignition, and both let out strangled breaths as they listened to lyrics detailing exactly what they craved to do to one another.

_You're beside me on the seat  
Got your hand between my knees  
And you control how fast we go by just how hard you wanna squeeze  
It's hard to steer when you're breathing in my ear  
But I got both hands on the wheel while you got both hands on my gears  
By now, no doubt that we were heading south  
I guess nobody ever taught her not to speak with a full mouth  
'Cause this was it, like flicking on a switch  
It felt so good I almost drove into the ditch  
I'm screamin'_

_No, we're never gonna quit  
Ain't nothing wrong with it  
Just acting like we're animals  
No, no matter where we go  
'Cause everybody knows  
We're just a couple of animals_

She shot a sultry look at her boyfriend, and his response was so lust-filled that she had to jerk herself away from drowning in his eyes. The want in his stare – and indeed it was a stare, for he hadn't taken his eyes off her since looking up from fastening his seatbelt, his chocolate orbs roaming over her body the same way she was longing for his hands to – literally took her breath away, and she felt a fresh wave of arousal course through her.

She had no idea how to describe the way she felt at that moment. It was more than want, more than desire; it was need. She _needed_ to feel him, needed his bare skin against hers, needed his fingers, lips and tongue tracing the paths they knew so well, needed _him_ more than she could ever recall needing anything before. Though it had been less than two days since she had told him she knew about his stash, it felt like so much longer. It was a cliché, and Summer hated clichés, hated the way they attempted to describe every aspect of a relationship when no two relationships were ever the same, however ever she had to admit that time without Seth dragged on. OK, so she hadn't really been _without_ him, since she'd seen him every day, but she'd been angry (or "livid", to use her own words) with him and hadn't so much as kissed him since she'd found the pot. And consequently she was concentrating fiercely on the road, trying – and failing – to ignore the boy sitting less than three feet away from her. She could smell his cologne; the scent he knew drove her wild, and if she looked back at him she knew his lips would still be swollen from their earlier kisses. Her own mouth tingled at the mere thought of his touch, and she drove slightly faster; every second spent driving was another second spent without his body against hers.

It had been torture to pull away from him when they were making out on the beach, but both knew it would have been far worse had they been caught by partygoers, especially either of their parents. And though Seth had taken a blanket out of the car especially for their little rendezvous, neither was entirely keen on repeating their beach-sex experience of the summer; there was too much sand in places it shouldn't have been, and too little time for anything other than the actual act. And obviously the lack of privacy was a major factor; while Seth wasn't as squeamish about public displays of affection as his girlfriend, he didn't exactly want to provide some random stranger a free show either.

Even though he had known she would find out about his smoking pot eventually, Seth was surprised that Summer had caught him out so quickly. He supposed spending time with her while high hadn't been the greatest idea, especially since he knew for a fact that she had 'experimented' when she was younger…but he hadn't exactly been thinking straight at the time, he'd been high for crying out loud! He had racked his brain to come up with a suitable way to make up for lying to her yet again; for much longer than his napkin-confession would have led her to believe, knowing from the outset that a little lingerie, even when "age appropriate and with the right cup size", wouldn't even allow a glimpse out of the doghouse. Sitting in her front yard for hours after he left in her room a huff, Seth had been gazing up at the majesty that was the Roberts house when it had come to him. Or, to be more specific, at him. Dr Roberts' car had come barrelling out of the garage straight towards him, and he had almost jumped out of the way when the Masarati turned and continued out of the wrought iron gates.

Parents. She revered his parents above all other adults, as her own were so conspicuously absent, and he knew that the only way to make her believe he was serious about keeping his promise was to offer some sort of parental consequences for not upholding his end of the bargain. Telling his parents of his indiscretions seemed like the ultimate three-year-old tattling, but was it really, if he was tattling on himself?

This Valentine's Day would be the two-year anniversary of the first time they had both realised their dreams; Seth's of finally making Summer his, and Summer's of having someone who liked her for everything she was and nothing she wasn't. And though the previous year they had spent this night apart physically, mentally they had been together, Zach's arms around Summer morphing into Seth's in her dreams, and Ryan Adams lulling Seth into Summer-filled sleep.

This year they had gotten it almost right and, as always, the only thing that could ruin their bliss was them themselves. It had always been that way; unlike Ryan and Marissa, the universe wasn't conspiring against them being together, and it was their mistakes that caused friction between them; mistakes that they were learning to either avoid completely or overcome together.

Seth blinked and checked the front window to see how much progress they had made…not home yet. He looked back over at Summer, gazing at her profile in the moonlight. Her hair – let down from its confinements the moment they were out of public sight – framed her face in a way that reminded him of midnight and rustling sheets. Their first time together, he'd been mesmerized by her hair and the way it was almost golden in the afternoon sunlight. Since then, he'd been attentive to much more specific things. He'd come to know her favorite spots for everything: a kiss, a touch, a breath. He'd mapped her body, the curves and crests, memorizing the movements she makes when she's above him. He was fairly certain that there was nothing more beautiful than the sight of her, barely visible in the darkness and haloed by the light from the window, face cast upward and arms at her sides, eyes closed and breath baited. He would readily tell her that she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever known, though he didn't say it half as often as the thought crossed his mind – which was every single time he caught a glimpse of her.

She shifted her foot from the brake to the accelerator, causing her skirt to ride up slightly. Seth's eye followed the movement, and he was unable to stop his hand from relocating to the slice of skin now exposed above her knee. Though an exciting idea flashed through his mind, he was loathe to distract Summer so much that she ran them off the road – it wasn't exactly the ideal end to their night. He settled for tracing nonsensical patterns on her thigh and, though she squirmed and pleaded and threatened, refused to move his fingers past the hem of her skirt.

……………………

Knowing Seth's parents wouldn't be home until close to dawn and that Ryan wasn't home (Summer hoped he was making up with Marissa), Seth and Summer took the opportunity to spend some quality time outside the bedroom.

As soon as Seth got his key turned in the lock, Summer launched herself at him, pushing him bodily through the door, attaching her lips to his and wrapping her legs around his waist. He staggered under her unexpected weight and practically fell into the living room, only just making it to the couch.

Pulling away to breathe, Summer stripped off Seth's sweater and shirt in one movement and then, because he was always so slow at it and she needed to feel his bare skin against hers, pulled off her own jacket and camisole. She pulled him closer so she could kiss his neck, the sweet spot where his neck and shoulder joined, the spot she called her own.

His hand covered her breast, his thumb rubbing over her nipple. Before Seth she had never thought breasts were the great source of pleasure portrayed in books and movies, having never felt more than irritation when some boy grabbed hers and pulled the nipples and expected her to become incoherent with pleasure when what she really felt like doing was punching him in the face. When Seth touched her, wherever he touched her, heat spread through her like wildfire, enhancing her senses so she could feel, smell, hear, see and taste him ten times better. She moaned, a quiet little whimper of delight.

He repeated the motion over and over, the pleasure building every second until it seemed to take over her body. She was glowing with heat now, her skin felt hot underneath his gentle touch.

He tugged on her hair gently, pulling her head away from his shoulder. His mouth closed over hers, leisurely intensifying the pressure until her lips parted. He slanted his head then and kissed her, deep and hard, taking her with rhythmic thrusts of his tongue. Summer didn't open her eyes, couldn't open them, lost in a combination of fatigue and desire that both demanded and enticed.

Seth's hand found its way up her skirt, and his touch caused her to rip her mouth away from his to cry out. Knowing that she couldn't take much more, and wanting to be connected with him when they climaxed, Summer frantically unbuckled his belt and pushed down his pants as far as she could without moving her body.

In the silence afterward, she heard her own breathing, rapid and jerky. Her heart was pounding so hard she could feel it thudding against her rib cage. Every muscle in her felt like butter, mushy and helpless. He lay heavily on her, crushing her into the couch, and she could happily have lain there forever. She felt exhilarated, and exhausted, as if she could move mountains if only she could manage to move herself, but at the moment, she wanted nothing more than to just lie there with Seth's weight on her, and know that she was the only one who had ever satisfied him in this way.

Finally he raised his head from her shoulder, staring into her eyes. "So Valentine's Day is on again?"

She rolled her eyes and chuckled at the way his curls looked, matted down with sweat, "Yeah, it's _so_ on."

He got off her and they quickly gathered their clothes, Summer dissolving into giggles when Seth snapped his sweater across her bare butt. She stole his dress shirt from him, putting it on and doing up a single button right in the middle, while he slipped on his boxers; though they were alone in the house, neither wanted to waltz around naked the way they did in the privacy of one another's bedrooms. She chased him up the stairs, tripping him right at the top so she could make it into his room first.

"That was not nice, Summer." He said as he entered his room, looking up to find her examining a familiar bag on his bed.

She removed the pink-and-white bra and panty set from the bag, a relieved smile gracing her lips. Aside from being angry that he had a) bought her 'very sexy' lingerie in an attempt to grovel and b) bought the wrong _size_ (he had taken off her bra more than enough times to know her cup size), she had been rather worried at the sight of the skimpy underwear. Seth knew she thought thongs were slutty, and that she would much rather wear underwear that was cute and comfortable…and until this morning she had thought he felt the same – he had always _seemed_ more excited to see a peek of cheek rather than the whole thing.

He stared at her from the doorway for a few moments, entranced by the curves he could _almost_ see under his shirt, the lighting making the white fabric almost translucent. Though of course he loved seeing her bare before him, it was times like these when he thought she looked most sexy; when her body was merely hinted at rather than all-out exposed, when it was her self-confidence that exuded sexiness rather than her appearance.

She said his name and shook the coathanger at him, breaking his trance. "Look in the bottom of the bag, there's something else." He said, moving fully into the room.

She searched through the tissue paper for a while, until finally she extracted a cord necklace. Dangling from the black cord was a silver tag, somewhat similar in size and shape to army dog tags. Summer looked up at him, doing a double-take when she saw that he was right next to her – since when had he been able to move so quietly? – and shot him a questioning look – he didn't really expect her to wear this, did he? Her boyfriend simply placed the tag in her hand.

It read;

"_Seth Ezekiel Cohen_

_Property of Summer Jordan Roberts_

_Please return if he gets lost"_

Summer giggled, shaking her head at him before handing it back, fully expecting him to just throw it out as a practical joke. Seth, however, grinned at her and looped the cord around his neck.

She rolled her eyes when he whispered in her ear, "I'm always yours, Summer. Always."

"You're so cheesy, Cohen." She stated, though Seth could see in her eyes that she absolutely loved the gesture.

He wrapped his arms around her waist, "But you love me anyway."

"Yeah," She sighed, slipping her arms under his to stroke his back and pull him closer, "I do."

They stood together for a while, swaying to music that both could hear in the heads if not with their ears. The memories of their first Valentine's Day together were coming thick and fast, but both knew this night would be entirely different; now they actually knew what they felt, and had no qualms about expressing said feelings to one another.

"I bought you a present too." She murmured, raising her head from his shoulder to stare into his eyes.

"You did? What about being livid…Valentine's Day being off…rocking your world?"

Summer didn't know which was more frightening; that she could decipher his babble or that she knew what his response was going to be before the words left his mouth.

"I didn't buy it today, dumbass, I bought it last week. Before I discovered your Pinocchio tendencies."

"Wouldn't it be cool if I was Pinocchio? Then I'd never have to make it up to you, coz you'd be able to tell every time I lied in the first place…not that I'm ever going to lie again." He added hastily, off her evil look.

"Pinocchio's a wooden puppet from a fairytale, Cohen." She said abruptly, a little disgruntled that he persisted in ruining the moment every time they had one.

"Right." He conceded, dropping his head to her hair to smell her intoxicating scent.

"I'll give it to you tomorrow." She whispered.

His head jerked up in surprise, "What? No Valentine's presents on Valentine's Day?"

Summer had to laugh at the tone he used; he sounded exactly like a four-year-old, "No Cohen. Valentine's Day was off, remember?" She grinned when he looked at her in complete bewilderment.

"_Was_ off, right?"

"Right, Cohen. It's definitely back on now." She confirmed, accentuating her statement by capturing his lips in a soft, romantic kiss.

Seth steered the both of them back to the bed mid-kiss, and gently eased her down onto the bed. Standing up again, he looked over her; tanned skin peeking tantalisingly out from under his shirt, chestnut hair strewn carelessly over his pillow, lips swollen and chest heaving from his kiss. There was no denying she was the most beautiful person he had ever laid eyes upon. But more than her looks, it was her eyes that made his heart and groin thump in tandem; the love and desire he saw in them, along with complete and utter trust in his touch – she knew without doubt that he would never physically hurt her.

Easing himself onto the bed next to her, he ran soft fingers up her leg, pulling up the white cotton of his dress shirt as he went. Her breath hitched as he reached her hip, however his hand continued moving up her body even after he released the shirt from his grip. Finally he cupped her face with a palm and pressed his lips to hers.

Summer let out a breathy "Cohen" when he finally pulled away, tangling her fingers in his hair as he kissed a trail down her body. He allowed the shirt to stay on her, fantasies running rampant through his head at the thought of doing this to her _while_ she was wearing his clothes. He lingered around her stomach until she begged for him to continue, but kept teasing her, moving down to kiss from her knees upwards.

He moved back up to whisper expressions of love into her hair as she came down from the high he had taken her to, until she was finally able to speak, "Now _that_ how you rock my world."

THE END

Remember to read this in context people! The large majority of this was written before 3.20 aired, in fact most was written even before 3.19 aired – I've been having trouble with the ending. I'd suggest going back and watching/reading the eps before Seth took a trip to Idiot-land and then reading this again, so that you can fully appreciate the happiness that was our favorite couple before college ripped them apart.

Hope all you guys who asked for happier times liked this chapter, extra saucy to compensate for a lack of sex in the next two chaps (trying to make 3.18 a little more realistic). This was supposed to be the uber-long chap to make up for 3.13's short one, but obviously it wasn't the very next chap so…whatevs.


	16. 316 The Road Warrior

**The Road Warrior**

**By Somebody's Angel**

"You heard the man, he's happy."

Seth's expression changed from the pride he had spoken of to another she was all too familiar with – lust.

"Oh no," Summer said, shaking her head with smile still in place in an attempt to convey seriousness without actually becoming serious. As much as she didn't feel like doing anything, neither did she want to ruin the first alone time they'd had since Valentine's Day. With Marissa and Ryan's relationship slowly dissolving, every time there was an opportunity for alone-time, one of their best friends would inevitably barge in wanting to talk.

He didn't get the hint, "I've got so many hormones." He leaned towards her, falling on top of her even as she attempted to push him off.

"No, Seth!" She couldn't help but laugh, so enthusiastic was he, "Argh!"

"Rowr!" He replied, nuzzling her ear playfully.

She gave up trying to push him off, knowing she could if she really wanted to – he was only slightly heavier than her – and allowed him to pepper her face with kisses. She let her body respond to him independent of her mind, the latter almost entirely occupied with the realisation that Julie Cooper was what had put a smile on her father's face – the widest one she'd seen since long before her birth mother left. If Julie Cooper made his days "the best on record" who was she to deny him? Okay, so the woman was very obviously a gold digger, but her father was a grown man, more than capable of making his own decisions…right?

But then again, Julie actually had people other than herself to think of, unlike her father's previous wives, and thought the woman didn't often show it, Summer knew Julie did love her daughters a great deal. Her father had other people to think about too, namely herself; though she had spent much of her childhood wishing Julie Cooper was her mother, actually having the documentation that made it so was another thing altogether.

Seth shifted from her ear to her lips, and she responded absentmindedly, content to kiss him as long as he wanted. Knowing that he rarely instigated sex without her prior request, she allowed his tongue to enter her mouth, though he didn't seem to realise that her hands were simply looped around his neck, not roaming like his were.

_Julie Cooper will do anything to make sure her girls are looked after…and she's married for money before, how can dad be so sure she won't do it again? _Summer thought, _has he been so wrapped up in other women's noses that he doesn't realise she's the biggest gold digger in history? She married Caleb Nichol for crying out loud, despite being younger than his **daughter**!_ Seth's hands were travelling up her rib cage over her blouse, but he gave no protest when she gently peeled his hands off her breasts, threading his fingers hers instead.

_I can so see her taking all his money when he's too much in love to think about a pre-nup…_The thought startled her, and her entire body went still, _he wouldn't do that, would he? He wouldn't forget all about me, about **my **well being?_

Seth finally noticed that she wasn't really into making out and stopped, rolling to the side of her so he could look her in the eye without crushing her. He didn't say anything, simply looking at her in concern until she voiced her fears.

"What if he forgets all about me?" Her voice was small, hesitant, and he squeezed her hand in reassurance. "He wouldn't let her make off with all his money, and just leave us penniless…would he?"

He didn't need to ask who 'he' was…indeed the subject of her question walked into the room before he had the chance to respond, both teens sitting up as if to convey innocence.

"Sweetheart I've got to go do my rounds." Neil said, not noticing the distressed look on his daughter's face. "Make sure she eats dinner tonight Seth, she's been skipping too many meals lately." He didn't wait for a response, simply exiting the house without another word.

Seth watched him go; amazed that this man could notice his daughter's decreased appetite when he only ate with her one night in seven. He turned back to his girlfriend, who looked more vulnerable than he had ever seen her.

"Would he?" She repeated, and all he could do to reassure her was gather her in his arms to whisper directly in her ear that he would never leave her, and wouldn't allow her to want for anything he was capable of providing, though he knew the one thing she needed was that he could never give; reassurance from her father himself.

She clung to him, murmured that she loved him into his neck then broke down in tears over the father she had never truly had.

When she had cried herself out the two of them lay together on the couch, Seth's arms wrapped around her in a fruitless attempt to protect her from all the world's evil. The stillness was sharp in comparison to her sobs, and as much as he didn't want to spoil the moment by talking, he couldn't stand the silence either. So he turned on the television; Season 2 of _The Valley_ was in the DVD player he knew, as he himself had put it in, and together they watched fictional characters play out fictional scenarios in totally unrealistic ways – "What the hell was April thinking, staying with Tyler when anyone can see she's still in love with Jake?" Summer commented midway through. Neither showed any emotion throughout the series – even through the hilarious scene where the totally unathletic Jake attempted to fight lacrosse-player Tyler for April's affection – too overwrought with real emotions to even think of bringing further turmoil to their bodies due to a television show.

Seth knew what was causing Summer to be so upset, but had no idea how to comfort her – hell he had no idea how to react to the news himself, and he wasn't technically a part of the families affected. _Although Grandpa died before he actually divorced Julie…does that mean we're still technically related? Will things get even more screwed up if…Omigod, will I be related to Summer if her dad marries Julie Cooper? Ew!_ He cursed both his overactive imagination and Summer's influence for the thoughts that ran through his brain. And though the thought of being related to his girlfriend should have disgusted him, all he felt was relief that they were soon going to be leaving this screwed-up town where adults caused boyfriends and girlfriends to be related. _Wait a sec…we only know they're dating – as wrong as it sounds for **old **people to be dating – there's been no mention of love yet. He hadn't even told his daughter he's seeing anyone for crying out loud! Maybe we should hold off on the marriage thoughts._ He didn't realise he'd said those last words out loud until Summer looked at him questioningly.

"What did you say?" He had no clue what she was talking about, and it obviously showed on his face, because she elaborated, "Something about holding off on marriage?"

"I was just thinking that maybe we should wait and see how serious your dad is with Julie Cooper before we start worrying about what it'll mean if they get married."

She stared at him for a moment – why would he have anything to worry about if her dad married Marissa's mom? – before breaking into a smile. "You're right."

Seth sat up, arched his back, looked left, looked right, looked up, looked down.

"What?" she said.

"You said I was right. I'm waiting for the world as we know it to end."

She slapped his shoulder and struggled to sit up, finally pushing him off her to right herself. He grinned as he rubbed his shoulder – she hit hard for a girl! – glad he had succeeded in making her smile again. He took great pride in being able to make her smile no matter what, whether it was comments, jokes or simply cheesiness that caused her to temporarily forget whatever had been troubling her. He was getting better at deciphering the right times too – most of the time he could tell whether she wanted to stay serious or not.

As much as he joked he was really a girl inside, the large majority of the female species' reactions mystified him, and he loved the unpredictability of Summer's moods almost as much as he loved attempting to predict them.

True to his promise, he ordered Italian for dinner, and purposely ordered both her favourites. He knew the reason behind her lack of appetite – worry for her father – but figured it couldn't hurt to try and get on Neil's good side by doing what was asked of him.

Within an hour they were both seated at the table scooping chicken parmigana and pasta with creamy alfredo sauce out of styrofoam boxes. Freshly baked rolls tumbled out of wax paper, and the scent of minestrone soup wafted from a plastic container. There was a brief dueling of forks over the last piece of chicken, and Summer had to slap Seth's hand away from her buttered roll.

"There's another one right there!" she said, pointing.

"I know, but this one's all buttery already," Seth argued.

Summer rolled her eyes but pushed it towards him and picked up the other roll for herself. Seth chuckled as he brought it to his mouth.

"You're easy," he said around a bite of warm bread, forgetting for a second how that might sound.

"You seriously calling me easy, Cohen?"

"How does one answer that," Seth asked, "and maintain possession of both testicles?"

Summer simply grinned, daring him to keep digging. For once in his life, Seth made the wise decision to shut up.

……………………

"Dammit, Cohen! You left the seat up again!" Summer called from the bathroom two hours later. The entire house was dark with the exception of the soft glow from the TV set.

"So, turn on the light when you go in there!" Seth called from the living room.

"I can pee without the light on, Cohen." She called back. "It's my house."

"Not unless you want to fall in again." He quietly mumbled to himself. Summer returned to the living room and quickly slipped under the warmth of the blanket that they were sharing.

"What did you say?" She asked, finding her still-warm spot and taking the bowl of popcorn from him.

"I said; I'd try to remember." He smiled, snuggling down a bit more under the soft blanket.

"Yeah, well next time you can just go use your own bathroom." She wiggled around to find a more comfortable spot.

They both had their legs drawn up on the sofa, leaning on opposite ends, watching a movie. They each wore flannel pajama bottoms, he in an old Bright Eyes T-shirt, she in a black tank top. Their legs were tangled under the covers sharing body heat.

"Shh." She whispered, playfully kicking his butt under the covers. Seth took back the popcorn bowl and set it in his lap, both turning their attention back to _Just Like Heaven_.

She couldn't believe how quickly Seth had pulled her out of her funk, and she appreciated his efforts to distract her from thoughts of her father and his new girlfriend. It was awesome to be with a guy who actually cared about your feelings and offered more comfort than "It'll be OK babe". Seth was the first guy – the only guy – that didn't press her for explanations when she didn't want to have sex, and neither would he attempt to get her 'in the mood' when she said she didn't feel like it – in fact she barley had to actually say the words, so in tune were they.

"Get me a soda." She again kicked his hip. He pulled his attention away from the television long enough to shoot her a glare.

"Get it yourself, you're closer." He stated, going back to the movie. He was really getting into it and she kept interrupting him.

"I am not. Come on, Cohen," She whined. "Pleeease!" She batted her eyes at him and reached out for his hand but he pulled his hand away.

"I am not." He playfully scooted farther away from her. After several moments, he could still feel her eyes drilling a hole in his side. He handed her the bowl of popcorn and got up. "Fine."

"It's cold in here." He complained as he went quickly to the kitchen. He got a Diet Coke for her and a Mountain Dew for himself – noting sadly that she didn't even have to tell him what kind she wanted – and quickly returned to his spot under the covers, still holding her soda.

"Cohen, don't." She warned, seeing the evil glint in his eyes.

"You don't think I will, do you?" He said playfully, holding the ice cold can in his hands.

"Oh, I know you will," she laughed, holding her hands out to defend herself. He began inching closer to her with a threatening smile.

"Got any spots that are needing maybe a bit of cooling down?" he tormented, bringing the can closer and closer to her warm skin. Summer squealed as he touched it to her arm.

"Don't!" She squealed again as he made direct contact with her neck. They were now both laughing, Seth trying to find warm, bare flesh as she squirmed under him.

"How about your stomach?" He laughed, having her pinned under his body, almost sitting on her legs, an arm across her chest.

"Not the stomach! Not the stomach!" She screamed as he pressed the freezing can against her soft flesh. "Enough!" She yelled, giggling like a grade school kid. Seth, in turn, shook up the can and set it on the table.

"There you go, Jay. It's all yours." He smiled smugly as he curled back up on his end of the couch.

"You bastard!" She laughed, pulling the blanket off his curled up frame. She wrapped herself up and went to get another soda from the kitchen.

She returned silently, and curled under the blanket on her end of the sofa without so much as a glance in his direction. They watched in silence for a few moments until Seth couldn't take it any longer.

He thought about apologising, but knew from experience that it usually didn't go over so well, so instead burrowed into his girlfriend's side.

"Ah!" She screeched, attempting to hit him, but he continued burrowing, and all she was hitting was his hard back.

"…You're such a dork…" Summer stated, giving up her barrage on her boyfriend.

"…m sorry!" came a muffled cry.

"Yeah yeah…shove it…" She smirked as he cautiously lifted his head and, seeing that she wasn't angry, laid his head in her lap. "I ought to commit you…"

"Commit me to what?" He asked with a purposely blank smile.

"What do you think?" She grinned, but now she was really quite tired.

"Are you bored with me?" Seth asked, giving Summer a polite way to banish him if she wanted to sleep.

"Always," the girl said with a smirk.

"You're the dork," He retorted.

"Not what the paperwork says…"

"What paperwork?"

"You know, The Paperwork. The stuff that says you're a dork." She grinned as he frowned.

"OK, so I'm a dork," He conceded, "But you love me anyway."

"Yeah," She said, leaning down to kiss him lightly, "I do."

THE END

Again, remember to read in context people – this is supposed to have happened _before_ Seth decided to be a complete idiot and lie to Summer about how much he loves her. Am working on 3.17/3.18, but 3.21 has so distressed me (along with spoilers for 3.22/3.23) that it might be a while before they're finished/posted.

Hope you like it – remember to let me know your fav line/comeback (dialogue). I promise to reply to all signed reviews, so log on if you want a question answered!


	17. 317 The Journey

**The Journey**

**By Somebody's Angel**

_…Love took me by the hand  
Love took me by surprise  
Love led me to you  
And love opened up my eyes_

_And I was drifting away like a drop in the ocean  
And now I realize that nothing has been as beautiful  
As when I saw heaven's skies  
In your eyes  
In your eyes …_

Seth exhaled loudly as he tossed his notepad on the bed and sat up, having finally had enough of brainstorming themes for Ryan's party. He walked over to the page-a-day calendar sitting on Summer's desk, noticing that she hadn't yet changed the date – it was still showing yesterday's date. He ripped off the top sheet to reveal the new word of the day. "Do you know what 'akamai' means?"

"No, and I don't really care, but I'm sure you'll tell me anyway." Summer didn't look up from whatever she was reading. She was sitting sideways in her armchair with her nose buried in a textbook.

Seth ignored her negativity. She was always grumpy when he interrupted her studying before she deemed she had done enough for the day; finals were rapidly approaching and there was no way she was going to jeopardize her chance at getting into Brown just because her boyfriend didn't need to study as much as she did. "It's Hawaiian for 'smart, clever, or witty'," he read.

"So, something you're not," She replied without missing a beat, her eyes still glued to the page.

He made a face at her, even though she wasn't looking. He glanced at the day old calendar page in his hand. "Hey, we should have had a celebration for you yesterday. It was Workaholic's Day."

She looked up just long enough to grab a pretzel from the bag on the floor and fling it at him. He caught it and ate it. "Thanks," he grinned.

She rolled her eyes and went back to reading, occasionally highlighting a line or paragraph of importance.

Seth idly started opening the drawers of her desk, hoping to find something that could amuse him while being very careful to avoid any space he knew he wasn't allowed in – the top drawer in her right-hand bedside table, for instance. He came across a box of sandwich size Ziploc bags, and wondered briefly why she would have something like that in her bedroom. The next moment the confusion was gone as he pulled two bags out and blew into them, turning them into little air pillows – who cared what they were doing in the room, the point was they were entertaining. He shoved an inflated bag under each of his sleeves, giving his biceps an instant boost.

"Hey, check me out." He gave her his best imitation of a bodybuilder's muscle flexing moves.

"You're such a dork."

"No, I'm bored," he countered. He went back to searching, her wardrobe now. "Oooh, Monopoly," His spirits lifted as he pulled the game box off the shelf. "How 'bout it, Jay?"

"Pass," she replied, licking a finger and turning a page.

"C'mon. It's gotta be more fun than whatever you're reading," Seth coaxed.

Summer took a sip of her Diet Coke. "Probably. But I gotta study if I'm going to have any shot at going to Brown with you."

He walked over to her and peered over her shoulder to see what she was reading. "I think you've done more than enough studying this afternoon."

"It'll only be enough when I say it's enough," she replied sharply. "Besides, I kind of outgrew Monopoly a long time ago."

"Nobody outgrows Monopoly."

"Maybe not you," she quipped.

"You just don't wanna play 'cause you know you'd lose," he responded in a childish tone, moving back to the bed where he had laid the game box.

"No, it's because I've gotta learn this for the test next week."

He had to give her that point, and abandoned the game, as he knew he'd never get her to entertain him while she was in this mood and he wasn't not in the mood to entertain himself. Seth went back over to her and slid his hands underneath her butt and lifted her out of her chair.

"Hey!" She exclaimed as he spun around and sat down in the chair, lowering her onto his lap. "What's the big idea?"

"I decided I wanted to sit here," he said simply.

"I'm never going to be able to read sitting in your lap," Summer complained.

"And _that's_ the big idea," Seth teased, running a hand down her thigh. She didn't respond to his touch, simply glared at him, and he immediately lifted his hand, knowing that now was not the time to push her. "OK, OK, how about we study together?" He lifted the book of her lap, holding it up so they could both see it, and began reading out loud.

Summer snuggled into his shoulder, allowing his voice to wash over her. The often studied like this, with Seth reading out loud to her, as he hated studying silently and she found it easier to learn when hearing the words spoken aloud. More material sank into her brain in one session of Seth reading to her than the hours she spent reading to herself, so she saw no reason to waste all that extra time when there were so many better things to do with herself.

_And every time I drift away  
I lose myself in you  
And now I see I can be me  
In everything I do _

'_Cause I was feeling as small as a drop in the ocean  
And now I realize that nothing has been as beautiful  
As when I saw heaven's skies  
In your eyes  
In your eyes _

……………………

"So, do you think Ryan talked to Marissa?" Seth's voice was sleepy. Summer was watching TV, and Seth was half asleep on the couch beside her. He shifted his weight, placing his head down in her lap. She smiled absently as she threaded her fingers through his hair, massaging his scalp.

"I don't know. Atwood is a mystery to me. And I'm not totally comfortable playing matchmaker either. Are you sure forcing him to decide is the right thing to do?" She worried her lip between her teeth, a nervous habit that Seth knew she'd picked up that first summer when he'd sailed away.

Seth grinned. "You said it yourself, they need to make a decision. This is just my way of forcing his hand. We both know they still feel something for one another, but they need to decide whether it's worth trying again or if they have to end it for good. Marissa's been using her lingering feelings as a shield to keep from going any further. It's not healthy."

"And you got your degree where, Dr. Phil?" She teased. With her free hand she had begun playing with the hem at the bottom of his T-shirt, slim fingers sliding under the cotton, fingering his bellybutton. He closed his eyes, enjoying her touch. He relished the feeling every time she touched him, never knowing if it would be the last time he felt her skin against his. Even after all they'd been through together there were times when he had to pinch himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming; that the girls of his dreams really did love him and want to spend time with him.

"I don't need a degree. I'm naturally in tune with the 'shipiness of others."

"A real Californian cupid."

He shifted suddenly. "I'll be your love slave if you scratch my back for me."

"You already are my love slave, Cohen." She trailed her hand down his chest, tugging his shirt teasingly. "But I'll scratch your back anyway."

Seth groaned with pleasure as her nails worked lightly over his back and shoulder bones. "This is definitely the way to a man's heart - perpetual back scratch."

"Really? I always thought it was through his stomach." Summer's voice was light, and she giggled when he grunted.

"With your limited culinary expertise, it's a good thing that's not true." He sighed contentedly, kissing her just above her knee, head still in her lap. "This is heaven."

Summer hummed to herself as she worked on Seth's back, and he fell silent, with only the occasional sigh indicating he was even awake. A mischievous thought ran through her mind, and she ran her fingertips lightly down his sides, grinning when he flinched.

She tested again, fingers slipping over smooth skin, moving subtly. Seth flinched again.

"Don't do it, Summer. Don't even think it!" His voice was low, but it was too late. With a shout of glee, she launched a full-fledged attack. Within minutes, they were both on the floor rolling around, screaming with laughter. He finally pinned her, and she began squirming for dear life - trying to get away from him, begging him to stop.

"Say Uncle!" He demanded, holding his clawed fingers above the exposed skin on her belly.

"Never!" She exclaimed, still laughing.

He laughed. "You are in so much trouble. I'll give you one more chance - say Uncle! Admit that I win!"

Summer grinned, looking into his handsome laughing face. Her brown eyes suddenly turned deadly serious. "I think I've won. Kiss me, Cohen."

He slowly lowered his lips to hers, unclawing his fingers to caress her stomach as he kissed her. It was a soft kiss, more intimate that passionate, physically expressing their connection. They rarely expressed affection for one another in public, preferring to distance their public and private lives in a concerted attempt not to end up like Ryan and Marissa. Their best friends allowed way too much of their relationship to be seen by outside observers, and it had caused rifts to come between them more than once. Seth and Summer kept their relationship private, thus their fights weren't caused by third parties.

Breaking the kiss, Seth hovered above her for a moment, staring down at her, insanely pleased that it was he who had caused the serene look on her face, he who had caused her eyes to flutter shut and remain so by simply pouring his emotions into a simple kiss.

Her eyes finally flickered open, and matching chocolate brown eyes met and held. There were no words spoken, but nor were they required, their connection so much deeper than words.

Just as he was opening his mouth to break the silence, Summer spoke, so softly that he wouldn't have heard her if their faces hadn't been mere inches apart, "You messed up my hair, Cohen." Her soft smile let him know that she wasn't really angry about it, but was using it as a hint.

He grinned back and spoke just as softly, their breath mingling in the small space between their mouths, "You started it."

"I know." Her grin was now impish, teasing him. "But it's still your fault."

He shrugged and let her up, knowing there was no way he was going to win this one. "Do you want me to fix your hair?" he asked, settling himself on the seat behind her, his hand already on the brush in anticipation of her answer.

She didn't reply verbally, pulling her hair band out and laying her head in his lap instead. The first brush was tentative, the second more confident, the third restorative and she was quickly returned to her blissful paradise, her worries swiftly melted away.

Summer felt so secure and comfortable in his capable hands that the simple task of brushing her hair seemed sensual. He built a rhythm and soon she was struggling to stay awake, so soothing was his touch. Though she often chided him for destroying carefully constructed hairdos, she loved the way his hands gravitated to her hair every time they were close together, and repeatedly found herself leaving it down so she could feel his fingers in her hair. Brushing her hair was one of Seth's favourite pastimes, and she loved how special he made her feel, just by performing this simple act. She envied him his ability to show his affection in just about everything he did, and especially how he could express his feelings in words, something she doubted she would ever be able to do.

_Love took me by the hand  
Love took me by surprise _

_And I was drifting away like a drop in the ocean  
And now I've realized that nothing has been as beautiful  
As when I saw heaven's skies  
In your eyes  
In your eyes _

A glint of silver caught her eye, and she looked down at her wrist. The platinum charm bracelet Seth had given her for Chrismukkah gleamed in the low light, and she sighed as realised once again exactly how devoted he was to her. Aside from the eight charms that had been on the bracelet when he first gave it to her, two further charms had been added, given to her at the most random of times (the day Kaitlin had arrived in Newport and a week after Valentine's Day, to be specific). Seth hadn't been apologising, nor were the gifts bestowed upon her when he wanted something he knew she'd otherwise say no to (he had other ways of making her cave), but simply a gift of love. Both charms were reminders of their relationship and all they had been through, a triangle symbolising, well, their love triangle with Anna – painful though the memory was, Summer couldn't deny that Seth rejecting her at Cotillion had a lot to do with her subsequent interest in him, her first experience of a boy not falling all over himself to do what she wanted – and a coffee cup to remind her of the time he stood on the coffee cart and told her he loved her in front of the entire school. And though it wasn't like she _expected_ any more charms, she knew that Seth would continue giving her charms that reminded them both of important moments in their relationship; it was just another way he showed his feelings for her, and picking out the right charms obviously meant a lot to him.

Finished brushing, he braided her hair, as she had been teaching him to do – he'd picked it up a lot quicker than she'd anticipated, and she was as yet unsure whether to be worried or glad that her boyfriend could braid her hair better than she could.

She joined him on the couch, snuggling into his chest and sniffing deeply. She loved the myriad of smells that made up his scent; soap, the cologne she'd bought him for his birthday, the paper he was always drawing on, and underneath it all a scent that was Seth's own. What made his aroma all the more alluring was that it was constantly changing, depending on what he'd been doing most recently; when he'd spent a few days in a row at her house, he smelled like her conditioner and body wash, at school he smelled like coffee and whiteboard dust, and at his house he smelled like whatever masterpiece his mother was cooking that day.

"God I love his smell," Summer commented, placing a kiss over his heart.

"Are you talking to yourself Summer? Or are the voices inside your pretty little head speaking to you again?" Seth replied, looking down at her fondly.

"Cohen!"

THE END

So sorry for taking so long! And I know I told a lot of you that I'd be updating on Thursday, but then I forgot to bring the chapter to work on Friday and our home internet wasn't working so I had to wait til Monday.

School cuteness is coming in the chap for 3.19! I know I promised it in this chapter but they didn't have real school moments in this ep, and this is supposed to be additional scenes, not totally new ones!

As always, ideas for future chaps are appreciated, and I'd love to know your fav line.


	18. 318 The Undertow

**The Undertow**

**By Somebody's Angel**

"If we go away to college together," Summer began, still panting with exertion, "we should like, fight…like everyday."

"I'm pretty sure I can make that happen." He replied in a knowing tone. And indeed he did know, they both knew, how easy it was for them to fight – only bickering, mind you, harder every about anything serious – and how much better the sex was when the fight ended with a kiss. All their rage at one another was poured out through the connection of lips, and the intense fury melted into emotions of a different kind altogether.

He turned towards her, a broad grin on his face, and she giggled as she thought about how she'd caused said smile to be plastered over his oh-so-gorgeous features.

Seth pulled the covers over their heads as he reached for her, and she let loose another giggle, thus time at the way he was carefully covering them up though there was no one else in the house. He placed a hand on her bare waist, pulling her to him, and kissed her lovingly on the nose before pulling back to look at her still-laughing mouth.

"That's my favorite thing to do in the whole world." He said sincerely, tracing her cheek with a soft finger.

"What? Have sex with me?" Summer never used euphemisms or crude terms to describe it, believing 'make love' was so saps like him and Marissa, and 'screw' was for one night stands – she was neither.

"No," he replied, pressing his entire body flush against hers, the ridge pressing into her thigh belying his words, "making you laugh. It's my favorite thing."

"Aww…you are so cheesy!" She exclaimed, giggling again before capturing his lips in hers. Their limbs entwined as their tongues danced in each other's mouths, the exceedingly unnecessary Karma Sutra book lying forgotten at the foot of her bed.

Later they lay curled together, Seth's curls damp on her chest as he listened to her rapid heart beat gradually slow. There were no words this time, each secure in the knowledge that the other was fully satiated, and both comfortable with their thoughts.

He thought that the awful, incredibly embarrassing sessions with Taylor had (both with and without Summer) been more than enough incentive to make sure things never got so awkward between him and Summer ever again. He had no idea how they had slipped into a pattern so familiar that it almost destroyed them, but vowed not to let it happen again. Yes they had previously gone without sex for this long, but there were other ways of relieving their sexual tension, ways that hadn't been utilized in the past couple of weeks. It wasn't even like they had spent less time together lately, but for some unknown reason things never progressed to the point where clothes were removed.

Summer thought about what Marissa had told her the night before; "the more emotionally unavailable you are, the more you ending up wanting each other." She believed it to be true, to a certain extent. It was true that as they grew more comfortable in their feelings towards one another they no longer felt the need to reconsummate the relationship at every available opportunity as they had sone when they first started dating. But that wasn't to say she no longer wanted him, the exact opposite in fact; knowing every crease of his skin as she knew her own only caused her to become more aroused when said skin was covered. The notion that she alone knew exactly what was under the polo shirt and corduroys made her hot every time she looked at him; now she was merely more controlled, able to satiate her lust by lacing her fingers through his and pecking him briefly.

Recently though, it seemed that she was controlling her feelings all too well, for she had to strain to remember their last time before today. She knew it was after Valentine's Day, but before the beginning of March, and the realisation that they hadn't had sex in more than three weeks crashed into her like a Mach truck. _Omigod we're like an old married couple!_ Her breath caught when she imagined them married – images of herself in a white dress standing with him at an altar came _way _too easily – and resolved to make their sex life healthier. They were still teenagers, after all, and she felt their sex life should reflect that fact, even if they were way beyond the typical 'I like you-I like you too' teenage relationship.

They fit together so perfectly, it was a mystery why they hadn't realised it earlier. Summer like to be in control, he was happy to let her lead. Seth was comfortable expressing his feelings to the world, but understood that she wasn't, and accepted it. He was more than 'in touch' with his feminine side, but she was brawn enough for the both of them. She had been neglected as a child, he overprotected – now they both had the right amount of love.

"I can't believe _Taylor _helped us out." Summer commented, her voice loud in the stillness – they were both breathing normally once again.

"Please, I'm still struggling to get the picture of her and the dean doing the wheelbarrow out of my head." Seth groaned and sat up, putting a hand to his head to emphasise his words.

But Summer was already off continuing her first sentence, never having heeded his contribution to the conversation. "After all she did to break us up earlier in the year…"

"Yeah, but she's tried hard to make it up to you." He pointed out, forgetting that he didn't want to talk about it for fear of getting hurt if he ignored her…and then he'd have to talk about it anyway. "Getting Coop back into Harbor, the plan to help your dad get over Gloria, and of course helping steer her mom away from your dad."

"She didn't know we were trying to break up my dad and her mom. And how many times have I told you not to call her Coop! I'm the only one allowed to do that." He rolled his eyes at her seriousness, and received a cuff over the ear for it. "But it's true, she has become a pretty good friend, especially since _Coop_-" she said pointedly with eyebrows raised at him, "-has become so distant these past few weeks. I think she's lonely, with Kaitlin and her mom gone, and her and Ryan not together anym…did you say Taylor showed you pictures of her getting it on with the Nazi dean? Ew!"

"Not pictures of them, just told me he'd taught her about it, then proceeded to explain those pictures to me." He waved his hand at the end of the bed vaguely; the Karma Sutra book had fallen off the bed in their exploits, and now lay half-hidden under Seth's boxers. It comforted him that though she had initially ignored what he'd said in favour of continuing her own topic of conversation, she _had _listened to him – it told him she wanted to hear what he had to say, relevant to the topic of conversation or otherwise.

"Eh, like we even needed that book anyway." She said dismissively, fingers dancing down his sheet-clad thigh.

"Yeah," He agreed, capturing her hands and bringing them to his mouth to kiss her fingers. "We've gotten soooo much better at this. Remember the first time?"

She suppressed a moan at the way his tongue was laving over her fingertips, answering in a breathy voice, "I told you I was…oh…trying to forget."

"Trying…you never said you actually _forgot_." He sounded hurt, and took a digit into his mouth in retaliation.

She rolled her eyes at his childishness, trying not to let on just how aroused he was making her, "I'd much rather…rather think about Valentine's Day – that was when we…mmm…got it right."

Wrenching her fingers from his grip, she placed both palms on his face and crushed her lips to his, pushing him onto his back on the pink satin sheets.

Thirty minutes later Summer reclined in Seth's arms, her dark head resting against his bicep. Her eyes were closed, a small, self satisfied smirk on her lips.

"You look awfully pleased with yourself." He teased, running a finger along her collar bone and feeling very gratified when she shivered.

"I am. Pleased with you, too." She stretched, arching her back like a cat, and pressing against him. Seth would never get tired of the feeling of her skin against his -- he couldn't stop touching her. "I love you, Cohen."

"Love you too, Jay." He said sleepily, finally succumbing to the male tradition of falling asleep right after sex. He never did after a single round, most of the time he was trying to keep her awake, coaxing those last few sentences out of her despite her threats that if he didn't let her sleep he was never going to be allowed to touch her again – knowing she'd never go through with it. They needed one another too much. It wasn't a physical need, nor a mental one, more of…well, an emotional need. The comfort and love they drew from simple touches and actions meant more than any words to describe – though Seth had attempted to describe the feelings more than once.

His arms loosened around her ever so slightly as he slipped into dreamland, and she congratulated herself on the way they had thoroughly quenched their thirst for one another. Her touch was no match for Seth's, and now that she had released all her sexual tension she felt a freedom she knew couldn't be replicated with anything else. The weight that had been lifted from her shoulders with her first Seth-induced release had been so mammoth she wondered how she had not been stooped over the past few days. It wasn't just the lack of sex, rather Taylor's insinuation that they didn't belong together if they didn't become aroused at one another's touch. But now, thinking about it more clearly (_how ironic_, she thought, _that I think more clearly when cloaked in a fog of sexual energy_), who was Taylor to say that arousal was only valid when it caused people to throw themselves at one another frantically? She _had_ been aroused by his touch – comic though it was, with her face all squished up like his hand had caused it to be – but the feel of his fingers caressing her cheeks and the adorable look of love in his eyes as he attempted to feel what he was being told he should feel was more than enough to sate it.

Snuggling further into his embrace, Summer kissed his shoulder lightly before closing her eyes and allowing her subconscious to take over.

……………………

Seth stretched lazily and welcomed the warm weight of Summer's naked body snuggled against him. He couldn't imagine a more satisfying way to end his day…or hers, and again wondered exactly how they had survived more than a month without it. The memory of it sent his blood pooling southward. He gently cupped her breast in response to his body's reaction, allowing his thumb to trace slow circles around her nipple.

He was rewarded with a moan and her moving even closer to him. "Good morning, sleepy head," he whispered.

"Morning," she replied, moving over to kiss him. "And don't stop on my account," she continued as she shifted her weight over him.

"Hmmmm. I won't." Her movement allowed him to do the same thing to her other breast at the same time…meanwhile her lips had slipped down to his neck, and her hands had trailed down a bit further. She was rewarded with his low moan this time. "Summer…" he hissed.

"What?" Her face was the picture of innocence, but the mischievousness in her eyes was evident.

"Do you know what you're doing to me?"

"I hope so…" She moved to his collarbone, swirling her tongue in the indent where neck met shoulder.

"As long as you know…"

"Know what?"

"That you're responsible for my actions…" he teased, flipping her over so that she was beneath him now and he could look her in the eyes.

"Oh, I am?" she said back, only half-jokingly, but the rest of her response was cut off by his lips.

They kissed until the need for oxygen won out, and stared into one another's eyes as their breath mingled in the small space between them. She moved in for another kiss, but he turned his head at the last moment, kissing the corner of her mouth. He trailed a line of kisses down her jaw this time…across her chest…to his objective, lightly kissing it before taking it in his mouth and letting his hand trail down further this time. She felt her breath catch in the back of her throat. "Oh…"

Seth chuckled, continuing to touch and guide her until she was arching against him. He cursed himself for allowing them to go so long without touching each other this way, and vowed that he would never let a day go by without telling her and showing her exactly how he felt about her.

THE END

Soooo sorry for this taking so long! As has become the norm lately, I'd written over half of it, then RL decided to rear its ugly head and totally scared off my muse, Kelsey. Might take a while for the next one, as I'm attempting to work on Seceding Link and study for finals at the same time – once June is finished I'll have a whole month to write and worry about nothing else!

Speaking of SL, to those who have been asking about it, I am working on it, just have a severe lack of ideas. I know where I want it to go, but don't know how to get there. The last chapter will be Summer's birthday, which leaves about a month or so that I have to fill in. was thinking of brining Ryan back, but am unsure as to how he should be received…any suggestions? Would also love ideas for other ways Summer can figure out she loves Seth – which is the 'plot' of SL, if you didn't already know.

The song used in the last chapter (3.17) was _Drop in the Ocean_ by Michelle Branch, sorry for not putting it in that chap!

As for the S3 finale (go and review now if you don't wanna know)…I'm not really shocked. I hadn't heard the rumors about Mischa, but frankly I knew it had to be a Cooper – the other characters are too indispensable. And plus there were all these unfinished storylines with Kirsten/Sandy and Seth/Summer (despite both of these couples having happy endings, both have previous issues that still need to be discussed) than neither of them could go, and of course it wouldn't be Ryan coz, hello, he's the central character on the show (much as we all know it should be Seth). I'm glad, sorta (R/M fans please don't throw things!) because as much as I never liked Marissa, she has bonded with the others well and I know it's gonna have a huge impact on S/S's relationship – no way she's gonna take the death of her "best friend forever" easily, and she's either gonna lean on Seth too hard and he'll freak or she'll push him away and…yeah he'll freak whichever way she goes. Taylor's gonna attempt to take her place, but she won't be able to coz she's too well put-together – all three of the others are used to a fourth falling-apart friend. So next season should be interesting…

OMG I just realised this AN is almost a quarter of the length of the fic! Sorry! Please let me know your fav line, and also throw all your suggestions at me – I promise I'll consider every one. This chap was very sexy, but the past three or four chapters have had zero sexiness so I felt it was due.


	19. 319 The Secrets and Lies

**The Secrets and Lies**

**By Somebody's Angel**

Ryan watched Seth and Summer as they exited the student lounge hand-in-hand, walking right past him without seeing him. Summer was saying something about Marissa and dinner the previous, but they moved out of hearing range before she finished her sentence. As happy as he was in his budding relationship with Sadie, Ryan was jealous of Seth, of his brother's relationship with Summer. It wasn't that he wanted Summer for himself – God no, she was too much like his little sister for him to ever think of her like _that_ – but that he wanted a relationship like the two of them had.

Not only had Seth found love early in life, he now had the reciprocated affection from the woman of his dreams. Though, admittedly, it hasn't all been smooth sailing, they had worked through everything to come through with their connection stronger than ever before.

They didn't feel the need to parade the relationship in front of others to prove their feelings for one another – indeed even Ryan had never actually heard either say the words "I love you", though he knew – through Seth/Ryan time, of course – that the phrase had been said. And though they were by no means joined at the hip, Ryan found it amusing that they almost always knew where the other was – at any given time of day he could ask Summer where Seth was, and inevitably she would not only know where he was, but also who he was with and what he was doing. It wasn't even that they consciously kept tabs on one another either – he had mentioned it to Seth one day, and the brunette had been just as amused as Ryan was, finally concluding, "I guess we just have no reason to hide our activities from one another."

Ryan's relationship with Marissa, though it had gotten to the "I love you" stage a lot sooner than Seth and Summer's, was nowhere near as deep. They rarely spent time alone together without making out – awkward silences abounded when they were out on dates. He always wondered why they were a better 'couple' when they weren't actually a couple. When he was dating Lindsay and she kind-of dating DJ things has been more comfortable than when they were dating each other.

Not so with Seth and Summer, the couple who were always a couple. Even when they were dating other people their connection, their chemistry was obvious whenever they were in the same room together. Last year Ryan had asked Zach why he had stayed with Summer so long, when they all knew she was still in love, would always be in love with Seth. Zach had replied that he didn't want to abandon her while she forgave Seth; he didn't push her to do so sooner than she was ready, but neither did he hold any illusions as to where the relationship was going. And the fighting for her later had been his way of forcing Seth to realise exactly how he felt about her, not because Zach wanted Summer for himself.

Seth's other advantage over Ryan was that the Cohens' love for their son was unconditional – as a parent's love for their child should be – thus he loved Summer the same way he had been taught. Ryan's mother had loved him when he was good, when he took care of her, but the second he was up against the law she turned against him. Ryan's relationships had always been based on provisional emotions – lust, need, comfort – even he and Marissa dated because of a mutual need to be loved.

"Cohen!" Summer's voice rang out in the hallway, though on a few heads turned, the Harbor students so used to their daily fights that they didn't need to look.

Pulled out of his musings, Ryan watched in amusement as Summer cuffed Seth over the head – he'd obviously said something not-so-funny about the relationship between Dr Roberts and Julie Cooper. Seth grabbed her hand on its way down, grinning mischievously as he linked his fingers through hers.

Stuffing both their hands into his back pocket, Seth gently tugged his girlfriend to keep walking. For the first couple of feet Summer kept a glare firmly fixed on Seth, but after awhile gave in and collapsed her head his shoulder.

……………………

Summer steered her boyfriend into the fresh air of the courtyard, wanting to enjoy the spring sunshine during their shared free period.

"So what will we be doing out here then?" He asked cheekily.

"Don't sound so hopeful," Summer said with amusement. He pouted, and she grinned. "I just thought it was nice out here."

"Ah. I see. And there'll be hardly anyone around during class, huh?"

She giggled and gave him a playful smack. "In your dreams, lover boy."

He kissed her softly, and held her close. "So what are we doing? Looking at the stars during the daytime? Finding a better vantage point from which to watch the idiots we go to school with run around?"

"I'd think you'd have better things to do with your time than watching water polo players chase one another," she told him with a smile and a kiss on the cheek.

"Like what?"

She gave him a look that said 'duh Cohen'.

"Huh? _Ooooh_," he said with sudden thought and a smile. He snickered as she rolled her eyes, smiling.

"You are such a dork, Cohen," she told him with a smile.

"I love you too, my little sugar plum," he said with a grin, the nickname making her stick her tongue out at him. He grinned and kissed her hair, hugging her tightly. She hugged him back, and then pulled away, moving to sit next to a tree.

Extracting her French book from her bag, she leaned against the tree and began to study. Seth was in no mood to study. He felt like he needed a long nap. He plopped himself down next to her and laid his head in her lap.

"You comfortable, Cohen?" she asked with a teasing smile.

Closing his eyes, a look of bliss on his features, he said, "Perfectly."

Summer laced her fingers through his long hair as she continued to study, occasionally murmuring words to herself. Seth corrected her pronunciation sleepily; eyes still closed, and curled up in his girlfriend's lap. She looked down at him, half asleep, and rolled her eyes gently. He was so adorable to her.

……………………

A cool wind blew through the tree they were sitting under just after Seth's watch beeped 12pm, causing Summer to shiver. Her movement woke Seth, and he immediately sat up to envelope her in his warm embrace.

"It's cold." She said, closing her textbook and getting to her feet. "Let's go to the library."

"Whoa, who are you, and what have you done with my girlfriend?" Seth pulled away from her with a shocked expression. "The great party girl Summer Roberts wants to spend her free period in the library?"

She rolled her eyes and dragged him inside without answering. It wasn't like her studying was a new occurrence – she'd been doing it all year. Now finals were just around the corner, so she was becoming more and more worried that she would fail an exam and ruin her chance to go to Brown with Seth – the thought scared her more than she would ever admit, for she had no idea what she would do without him in her life.

"You're an ass, you know that?" Summer asked him with a smirk as they entered the library.

"But it's my ass you're so enamored of, or so you've led me to believe," he told her with a grin, wrapping his arms close around her and letting his hands rest on her butt.

She pulled his hands off her with a scowl, and poked him hard on the arm to point him to a table.

"Ow!" he exclaimed, rubbing the spot where she had poked him.

Summer laughed and shrugged her shoulders. "Love tap, baby. Toughen up."

As he followed her to their tables, Seth remembered a conversation he'd had with Ryan a couple of months ago.

…FLASHBACK…

"So tell me something." Ryan was putting away his clean clothes, fresh off the line.

"What's that?" Seth turned a page in the newest Legion, completely oblivious to the work Ryan was doing.

"I was wondering why Summer won't allow you to call her honey or baby, but she does it to you all the time."

Seth grinned. "Well, I don't mind her calling me honey. In fact I find it a big turn on."

Ryan rolled his eyes. "If she called you a sexist pig, you'd find it a turn on."

"I know. It's a win, win situation." Seth wouldn't allow Ryan to bait him. The blonde shot him a Look, and Seth grudgingly explained, "Issues with the person she was before you came here. None of the guys knew the girls' names, or if they did they were too drunk to remember, so they always called her baby or honey." He didn't mention the part about her mother calling her 'baby' – it wasn't his story to tell.

Ryan nodded knowingly – he had done much the same thing with girls in Chino.

…END FLASHBACK…

Half an hour later Seth was sitting in the dusky library, lazily twirling a pen between his fingers. Up and over his index finger, under his middle finger, and then back again. He looked out the window, where the setting sun was clearly visible, and casting a warm golden glow over the sides of the castle and in through the window onto everything in the corner of the library. His gaze travelled from the scenery outside back to where he was sitting.

Papers were scattered over the desk, a bottle of water sitting right in the middle of the table, on top of Seth's English text. Summer's history book was propped up on the table, and behind the cover a head of mahogany hair was clearly visible, tied up in a high pony-tail. Seth smiled; he loved how Summer looked when hard at work. He knew she was petrified of the end-of-year exams, afraid her world would collapse if she didn't make it into the same college he did; thus they were always studying lately.

Well Summer was. Seth, on the other hand, was often too busy daydreaming to do much else.

"Could you stop doing that please?" Her voice piped up as she set the book down and looked at him, a slight frown on her face.

He snapped back into the harsh world of reality, "Stop doing what?" He asked, quizzically.

She sighed, and tightened her pony-tail, "Staring at me. You've been doing it for quite some time now," She pointed out, her cheeks turning a delicate shade of pink, "and it's kind of distracting."

Seth reddened, "Oh, right sorry. Its not my fault you're the most beautiful thing in this library." He added smirking.

"Well, I'm being compared to some mouldy old books, and the hundred-year-old librarian…I should think so." She said, her light laugh ringing in his ears.

"You're still the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." Seth said sincerely, unconsciously moving his hand slightly towards her.

Summer cursed his innocent charm, which always caused her insides to melt. She was now having serious trouble concentrating on her notes, and she really needed to finish summarising this last chapter before the end of the day.

Seth moved to sit in the chair next to her, though she was surprised he didn't move it any closer – usually he tried to sit as close as she would allow, so he could distract her more easily. Instead this time he left the seat where it had been previously, which was distracting in itself. She couldn't help but wonder why he was doing it; unable to believe he didn't have ulterior motives for the change in routine.

Sure enough, thirty seconds later she felt his hand find her bare knee, her crossed legs causing her skirt to ride up. He let his hand slide under the hem of her dress, his short nails barely raking against the skin of her thigh, and causing jolts of heat to shoot through her body – she only _just_ managed to repress the shudder she knew he was looking for.

She stared at him silently for a moment, her expression unchanging through sheer will, not because he wasn't having an effect on her. Then she easily reached for his hand and removed it from her leg, depositing it back on his knee and withdrawing her own hand. She went back to studying, even though her entire body was now craving his touch and she could feel his eyes on her profile.

Five minutes passed – though both Seth and Summer would have sworn it was five hours – Summer finally wrote the last word of her chapter summary and looked up to acknowledge Seth.

"Follow me." Her tone was only marginally warmer than her expression, which was icy.

Seth audibly gulped and obeyed, knowing it would be far worse not to do as he was told, and that the punishment for disobeying would certainly be harsher.

So worried about the consequences of trying to feel her up while studying, Seth didn't watch where he was going. He bumped into Summer when she stopped moving, and didn't have time to gauge his surroundings before he was pushed through a door.

She had a handful of his shirt, and the next thing he knew he was against a wall, battling against her tongue for dominance while coming to terms of the length of her body pressed suggestively against his.

See now, assertive, forceful, I-know-what-I-want-and-you're-going-to-give-it-to-me Summer was his favorite. Not that he always wanted to be the submissive one. He loved to have his fair share of opportunities to make her moan, have her rumpling the sheets beneath him, arching into him, crying out his name as he watched her. It was just that she was the more forceful one in the relationship, and even after all their time together he was still hesitant to initiate things. He smiled into her kiss, and leaned forward a bit, gaining a touch of leverage over her, before wrapping his arm around her waist, lifting her effortlessly and flipping her around, slamming her against the spot on the wall where she had had him pinned moments ago. She groaned softly against his mouth at the blunt pressure, but wrapped her legs around his hips and pulled him closer.

He wrenched his mouth away from hers when his lungs were screaming for oxygen, resting his forehead against hers as he gasped for breath. "You're not…you're not mad?" It was only now, when his senses were only partially encompassed by Summer, that he smelled the cleaning fluid and realised they were in a janitor's closet.

She grinned and looped her arms around his waist, fingering the hem of his shirt, "Not too mad…but don't you dare do that in public again." She raised her eyebrows suggestively to let him know exactly why she didn't want him doing it again.

He cupped her face in a hand as he leaned in, capturing her lips once again. Seth's other hand snaked through the button-up front of her dress, and his fingertips had just touched her bra when the door was thrown open and a small figure was pushed into his back. They broke the kiss and glanced into the other's eyes, and Seth felt the figure at his back being pulled away. Summer glanced over her boyfriend's shoulder and the blush on her cheeks deepened when she saw the sleazy grins of two of the water polo team. It seemed they had found a new punching bag now that Seth was protected by both Ryan and Summer.

"Hey look, the queer found himself another fag!" Zach's replacement captain said with a smirk. Despite having found a new playtoy, they still found it amusing to push Seth's buttons, and Summer tightened her grip as his whole body stiffened against her when he identified the voices.

"Nah, wait," another one said – Seth knew he was the vice-captain, a boy named Jake – recognising Summer's face looking over Seth's shoulder. "It's our prom queen, Summer Roberts. What are you doing with that loser? Wanna come out of there and we'll leave these two geeks in here together? Or better yet, how 'bout one of us real men to come in there with ya?"

"I guess you didn't get the memo, but I've gotten over arrogant dumb jocks," Summer said coldly, moving to stand in front of her boyfriend, unconsciously attempting to protect him from their harsh words.

Their smiles momentarily dropped as they glanced at Seth but the smile was back in place when Jake directed his next question at Summer – apparently Leo, the captain, was willing to let Jake take the reigns on this one. "So Summer," Jake said, his arrogance back in action. "What are you doing later tonight?"

Summer leaned back intro Seth, pulled his arms around her waist and turned her head to nuzzle his neck. "Baby," she stood on tiptoes and spoke in his ear huskily, loud enough for Jake and Leo to hear. "What are we doing tonight?"

Seth smirked nervously, unsure of himself around the water polo players even when his beyond hot girlfriend was blowing them off in favor of him. "I dunno, the hot tub's starting to get a little boring, don't you think?"

Both Leo and Jake's jaws dropped.

"It's never boring with you around, baby," she said, kissing Seth's jaw, causing him to smirk even more. "Maybe we should spice it up a little, huh?"

"Definitely!"

"Fine, I get it, I'll just leave you and your fag alone then." Jake said spitefully, leaving in a huff. Leo gave them one last scowl before dragging his new playtoy away from the closet.

Seth and Summer both laughed at their taking down of the bullies, but she heard the tremor in his. "Cohen," She said, turning around in his arms. "Do I tell you enough that I love you?" She was smiling, but she was deadly serious, trying to reassure him without words.

"Each and every time you say it, I can't quite believe I am _that_ lucky." She wiped the dampness from his cheeks with the pads of her thumbs. "How much is enough anyway, when I already know it in here?" He took her hand and placed it over his heart.

"You do know it then? I mean really know it… 'Cause I do, I love you Seth and I don't ever want you to doubt that fact."

Once again, he enveloped her in his embrace and pulled her tightly to him. "Summer," he whispered into her hair. "I love you." He kissed the top of her head.

"Mmm," She smiled dreamily. He released her from his embrace, but maintained hold of her hand, moving to exit the closet. Summer resisted, releasing his hand, he turned back to find her fixing her hair and adjusting the hem of her dress.

"Cohen?" She said, holding back a smile as she looked up at his collar, "Come here." Seth approached her tentatively, but she just giggled at him. She reached up and fixed his collar to where it wasn't flipped out at odd angles. "There." She said.

He smiled roguishly at her. "Maybe I was trying to make a fashion statement." She smiled up at him.

"Well, if you're trying to say, _'here's an example of what not to do'_." She replied playfully. He chuckled at her and their gazes locked for a brief moment before Summer remembered what had just transpired. "You see, this is why we don't do this at school. Once we get started it's hard to stop." Her actions belied her words as she moved past him and out of the closet.

THE END

Soooo sorry it took so long. I couldn't think of any way to finish the chap once they went into the closet, and knew that the Summer I've created in this fic would never go all the way in a closet at school, so I had to come up with something else. Next chap will take a while, my parents are annoyed at my uni grades and are putting pressure on me to spend more time studying, so I'll have very limited time on the internet once uni starts again on Monday.

I know I also promised to work on Seceding Link, but am having the same trouble – I can't figure out a way to end it. If anyone has any ideas for Summer/Kirsten bonding, Summer/Ryan and/or Seth/Marissa friendship, please let me know. Even ideas for fab four or Seth/Summer fluff are appreciated; TTA is sapping all my fluffy ideas!


	20. 320 The Day After Tomorrow

**The Day After Tomorrow**

**By Somebody's Angel**

She knew something was up even before he asked to talk, knew that it was something more than Taylor's explanation of him just being male and freaking out about college. It wasn't like Seth to be quiet…he rambled whether he was happy or sad, scared or jealous. And if she had to point a finger at the moment she really knew something was wrong, it was when he didn't even attempt to kiss her goodbye the afternoon they got their letters. Even when Ryan allowed them some privacy to celebrate alone, all he did was stand there in the middle of the living room and hold her, his arms around her in a death grip like he thought he was going to lose her any minute.

So now, squatting next to a deck chair and waiting for him to begin the conversation he had initiated, the twist in her gut was turning tighter and tighter.

"So, are you going to talk or what?" She finally asked, worry escalating every second he sat there staring at the sand.

"Yeah. It's just…not easy." He replied, twisting his fingers nervously. She desperately wanted to take his hands in hers and reassure him that everything was going to be alright, that they would get through whatever it was together, but instinctively knew that he would pull away if she reached for him.

"Then I'll go." She decided, "Look I get that you're a guy, OK, and I know you have that whole Sumian brain thing but…if we're going to go to college together next year, you _can't_ keep freaking out on me all the time."

"Yeah, Summer that's just it." He broke in, and for once she wasn't mad that he'd interrupted her.

"What is?"

"I'm not sure that I want to go to Brown next year."

"What?" She was completely confused – whatever she'd expected it wasn't this.

He sighed, "I've just been thinking a lot about it, and I'm not, I'm not exactly sure that Brown is the right choice for me. For you, still, I think it's great."

"We applied to Brown so we could be together." She replied, pursing her lips.

"Yeah I know." He looked down, "I just, I guess I changed my mind." It was the flatness of his voice and his hesitancy that told her the real reason he was freaking out; he hadn't gotten in. And while she was confused and angry that he had lied to her, she was also scared and nervous; was he still going East? Would he apply to a school near to her the way she had offered to do for him?

"So what, we just suddenly apply somewhere else?" She asked, clinging for dear life onto the hope that he wasn't doing what she thought he was doing.

"No, I think you should still to go to Brown. You should." She stared at him; hope drowning with every word, "I'll just go somewhere else."

"Do you really mean this?" She couldn't stand the thought of misinterpreting what he was saying – this was their future he was talking about – was he really saying he was purposely choosing college over her?

His next words sank whatever hope she had had left, and completely shattered her heart. He was breaking up with her! After all they had been through together, all the progress they had made over the past eleven months he was going to let go, just like that. She had to turn her head, unable to recognise the man sitting in front of her.

"Okay…" Her throat closed up as she turned to face him, and she had to struggle to get the words out without bursting into tears. "Well I guess, um…if this is how you feel fine." She paused, giving him the opportunity to take it back, to beg for forgiveness that she would have granted in an instant. But he didn't. "We're over."

She stood quickly and walked away as quickly as she could without running, not wanting him to see how close she was to breaking down. How could he do this to her? She thought he loved her! She definitely loved him, would have showed him how much a thousand different ways if she thought it would have any effect. But he had stated it plainly the night before; "Who really knows who you want to be with when you're eighteen?" At the time she had smiled and assured him that she knew…only for her heart to sink when he didn't reciprocate; he hadn't just been talking about Ryan and Sadie.

Seth was the one who had always said they'd be together forever, that their love would survive through anything life threw at them. _Yeah,_ Summer thought, _anything but ourselves._ He was the one who had loved her forever, who had shown her what it was like to be loved unconditionally…at least he had once loved her absolutely.

She remembered the Friday after their tantric sex session, walking along the pier after a dinner date, when she had asked him why.

…FLASHBACK…

Seth held out his hand when they reached the end of the pier. She took it and he pulled her toward him into an embrace. She leaned her head against his chest and closed her eyes as he wrapped his arms tightly around her, the warmth of his body against hers making a calming feeling run through her body. He kissed the top of her head before he closed his eyes and rested his cheek against it.

They were silent for almost a minute before Summer said, "Cohen?"

His eyes still closed, he replied, "What?"

"Why do you like me?" she asked quietly.

He opened his eyes and let out a small laugh. "What?"

She lifted her head up and looked at him. "I mean, what is it about me that's made you like me for so long?"

Seth didn't say anything for a minute, obviously thinking about how best to approach the question. With her ear against his chest, Summer closed her eyes and concentrated on the rhythm of his breathing. Finally, he said quietly, "It's been a long time."

Summer opened her eyes, picking her head up to looked at him. "Yeah?"

He swallowed hard and nodded.

She brought her hand up and twirled a finger through his hair. "But why?"

"Why…have I liked you for a long time?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Yeah," she said, shrugging. "Why me? I mean, there are millions of girls out there – why me?"

He stared at her for a second before he let out a sigh. "Because…I don't know…because you're perfect."

A panicked look appeared on Summer's face and she took a step back from him. "Don't say that," she said quickly.

"What – what's wrong?" Seth asked, a look of surprise on his face.

She shook her head. "Just don't say that. Don't think that about me, Cohen," Summer said. She turned her back to him and took a few steps forward.

Seth stood there for a moment looking at her with confusion. He took a step toward her and put a hand on her shoulder, then turned her body around to face him. She stood with her hands folded across her chest, biting her bottom lip nervously.

"What's wrong?" Seth asked, reaching out and rubbing her arm. Feeling how cold it was, he said, "You're freezing." He took off his sweater and held it out to her.

"Thanks," she said, taking it and pulling it over her head.

"So, what is it?" he asked softly.

"So…it's nothing." She leaned back against the railing and sighed.

"That sigh means it's something, so what is it?" he asked, sounding slightly annoyed that she wouldn't talk about it.

She stared at him for a minute, then closed her eyes. When she opened them, she said, "Cohen, I'm not perfect…and I don't want you to think I am because you're just…you're gonna be in for a rude awakening." She stared down at the floor. "The last thing I want to do is disappoint you."

He walked over and stood directly in front of her, putting a hand on either of her shoulders. "Where the heck is this sudden lack of self-esteem coming from? You're not like that."

She nodded. "Oh, yes I am, Cohen. I try to hide it, but it's always there. After years of having my parents ignore every achievement I've ever made, I've come to realize how many faults I really do have, how many ways I can disappoint people." She started wringing her hands uncomfortably. "That's why I don't get it – why would you wait so long for me? If you've waited this long just because you think I'm perfect, then…you're wrong."

"Are you even listening to yourself?" he asked loudly. Summer looked up in surprise as Seth shook his head and said, "Don't act stupid, Summer."

She scoffed. "You're calling me stupid?" she asked, getting defensive.

"No, I'm not calling you stupid, I'm telling you not to act stupid. There's a difference. And you thinking that you're a disappointment to anyone, especially to me, is crazy," he said matter-of-factly, his face getting red. "Why would you ever –"

She held up a hand to stop him. "Okay, hold on – why are you getting angry at me here?"

He exhaled loudly. "Because if someone else was standing here talking about you like that, I'd get mad at them just the same."

"Oh, so you're defending me from myself?" she asked, rolling her eyes. "Makes perfect sense."

He sighed and pursed his lips, and Summer could tell he was thinking. He suddenly slipped his hands under her arms and picked her up, and sat her on top of the railing, making sure she was balanced properly before letting go. He stood directly in front of her, rested his hands on her thighs and stared into her eyes. "All right, I didn't wanna do this, but I'm switching into cheesy mode. You brought it up so don't blame me."

A small smile fell on her lips as she stared at him.

"Just listen to me – I know you have faults. You're annoying during movies, you're unable to walk into a store without buying something, you have a tendency to get bitchy and whiny when things don't go the way you want," he said, rolling his eyes.

"Sorry about that," Summer muttered.

He took her hands into his and continued, "But you're also smart and funny and strong-willed and you'll do anything for your friends and…and you're not bad to look at either," he added with a smile.

She looked down at her hands as she smiled shyly.

He tilted her chin back up and kissed her. He stared at her for a second before he said, "I know you have faults, but…I still think you're perfect. So don't worry about disappointing me – it's not gonna happen. I'm the one who should worry about disappointing you."

Summer shook her head. "That's not gonna happen either."

Seth smiled. "Good. Now I'm officially exiting out of cheesy mode."

She smiled as she put her hands on his cheeks and led his lips to hers. She kissed him deeply, softly exploring his mouth with her tongue as she invited his to do the same in hers.

As she pulled back, she said, "You know, if I would've known that you could be this sweet, I probably would've fallen for you years ago."

…END FLASHBACK…

Summer finally reached her car, and found that the walk had dissolved her tears; now she was angry. How dare he do this to her? She had offered to move across the country to be with him and he couldn't even do the same for her. Yes it sucked that he hadn't gotten into the university he wanted, but that was no reason to break up with her. She had said right from the start that she didn't want to go if he wasn't with her, and now here he was saying he'd changed his mind about wanting to go to college with her. Did he not love her any more? Was that the issue? Even as she thought it Summer knew it wasn't true. Everything in Seth's actions over the past few days pointed to that letter, and if the way he had acted over the weeks before that was any indication, she would gesture that he did still love her, but that he was still reeling over not getting into Brown.

And even if she had taken the spot at Brown he believed rightfully his, he could apply to another East Coast school and they could still be together. All the Ivy Leagues were on the East Coast, and a two hour car trip was a helluva a lot better than being thousands of miles away. And what if she declined her place? She wanted to be with him more than she wanted to go to Brown, but would he ever forgive her if he was accepted purely because she'd said no?

She got home and immediately went to her bedroom, completely ignoring her father and Julie Cooper snuggling in the living room. The first thing she saw when she entered the pink room was the poster she'd made in honor of her and Seth going to college together.

She took it down and stared at it for a few moments, looking at the future she had imagined that was now not going to happen. The majority of photos were of the two of them, photos that had been taken in the last few months when the two of them were making plans for what to do next year; would they get an apartment together or stay in college dorms? In all the pictures both wore matching expressions, whether they were grinning wildly at the camera or staring lovingly into one another's eyes, and Summer knew that there was no way Seth had simply changed his mind about going to college with her in a mere two days. She only had his word that he had gotten into Brown, and she of all people knew that he wasn't the most truthful person to ever walk the planet…but she had believed him, believed he was not going to lie to her again after that fateful Valentine's Day, and thus had trusted him when he told her he had been accepted. She knew in her heart that he was devastated at not getting in, and was most probably taking it out on her because she'd gotten in and he hadn't – entirely unfair but understandable, after all he was the one who'd never gotten less than a B in any of his classes since 9th grade (and even that was for gym) while she'd maintained a steady B-minus average throughout her four years at high school, and had only picked up her grades mid-way through last semester.

His grinning photo-self morphed into his expression when he'd told her he wanted to go to separate colleges, and she felt her anger flare up again. She gripped the cardboard firmly and tore it in half. It was extremely satisfying to watch all her hard work go down the drain just as quickly as the relationship had, and she tore again. And again. And finally one of the photos actually ripped and her rage instantly dissolved as her eyes flooded with tears. She let go of the ruined poster and let the tears flow as she looked at that one picture, torn neatly down the middle so that Seth's head was on one piece and hers on the other. It was her favorite photo too, one Ryan had taken when they were focused on one another. Now she stared at it with blurry eyes, still able to make out the look of pure adoration on Seth's face as he pressed his lips to her temple, and her arms looped around his torso in a sideways hug.

She felt her legs crumple, and somehow made it to the bed before she collapsed entirely. Curling into the fetal position she hugged her knees to her chest, trying to stop the cold from enveloping her though she knew it was inevitable; only Seth could warm her completely, no matter how many layers of clothes she put on. It was ironic, she considered, that he had loved her for so long, and now it was she who was crying over him. The only reason she could come up with was that he had loved a Summer that no longer existed and had no interest in falling in love with the new Summer.

He hadn't changed as much as she had, and of course she had gotten to know him before even contemplating falling for him, so it was easier for her to embrace the new, grown up Seth Cohen. He was so unpredictable, so completely and totally different from her. He thought things through before he acted, but allowed words to flow out of his mouth uncensored. He was a geek, he played video games…he liked reading and hated shopping.

But when you got right down to it, how different had they really been? They were both stubborn and difficult. They were both fiercely loyal to their respective best friends. They were both passionate people. They never backed down from a challenge. They had both made mistakes, some big, like Zach and Anna, and some small, like Reed and her father, but mistakes nonetheless.

They fought, but it was only because they were so similar. It was because they were the same in so many aspects that was killing Summer inside. She and Seth were soul mates. They had to be. A fresh wave of tears cascaded at the thought of losing her soul mate, and she groped blindly for Princess Sparkle, only to remember the lilac horse had gone on a field trip with Captain Oats and Summer had forgotten to pick her up from the Cohens', _damn horse found **her** soul mate._

But, as Seth had pointed out, who meets their soul mate in high school? It was only ever heard about in the movies, or in small country towns where everyone went to the same high school and never left town. She had only ever slept with Seth, knew nothing of how other men might love her, yet she had no real inclination to find out. Going to Brown she was sure to find other comic book geeks who would love to follow her around as he had earlier, but none of them would ever come close to _her_ comic book geek. Her Cohen. As much as she hated to admit she bought into the soul mates cliché, Summer believed she had found her soul mate in Seth Cohen, everything he had ever done for her or to her had shown her how much he cared about her, even before they had voiced their feelings out loud.

She heard Marissa call out to her, and turned her tearstained face towards her friend, not knowing what the blonde would do. The old Marissa would have immediately come to her and held her while she cried, knowing that it took a lot for Summer Roberts to show her vulnerable side to anyone…but what would this new, uncaring Marissa do? Summer wasn't naïve enough to think that her forgiveness would turn her best friend back into the person she knew nor would it fix everything that had gone wrong between them, but would it at least help the old Marissa comfort her best friend? She turned her face back to the window, and felt Marissa's weight on the bed behind her a moment later.

At first the blonde didn't touch Summer – obviously the new Marissa also knew their friendship was still being mended – but when the brunette pressed her face into the already-soaked pillow Marissa hesitantly put a hand to her friend's heaving shoulders, offering her all the comfort she was able to.

The pillow smelt like Seth. While she had only been resting her head against it she couldn't discern the smell, but now that her face was pressed to the satin she was overwhelmed with his scent and promptly felt like her world was collapsing all over again. Shr had told her father that the day her mother left was the worst day of her life, but this…this was infinitely worse. Sure she had loved her mother, but between work and Newpsies she had never really gotten the opportunity to know her as well as she had always wanted to. Seth had been a major part of her life for almost three years now, and she knew almost everything there was to know about him. His parents didn't know his innermost feelings and Ryan didn't know every crevice of his skin.

Swallowing the huge lump in her throat, she whispered, "I'll always love you, Cohen," into the night, vowing that it would not be the last time she said it. She would fight for him. She had to.

THE END

Kay I know these chapters are getting really out of order now (you may have noticed I've fixed 3.13 and 3.14) and I promise I am working on 3.15/16/17 (simultaneously, this is why it's taking a while) but I was so moved by the latest episode that I sat down and wrote this entire thing in less than two hours. The last time I cried while watching anything I was about 8, but this episode makes me cry every time I see Summer bawling her eyes out (the last time I watched it was ten minutes ago to confirm I had the break-up scene correct, which makes 5 total so far). I can't believe they're come so far that it's Seth letting go first…for some reason I always thought it would be the other way around…and I can't believe she's going to let him go without a fight, and judging from the promo for the next ep (Summer on a coffee cart!) I just had to put the last paragraph in as a little forecasting.


	21. 321 The Dawn Patrol

**The Dawn Patrol**

**By Somebody's Angel**

_I have myself to blame  
For the state I'm in today  
And now dying  
Doesn't seem so cruel  
And oh, I don't know what to say  
And I don't know anyway  
Anymore_

_I hate myself for losing you  
I'm seeing it all so clear  
I hate myself for losing you  
What do you do when you look in the mirror  
And staring at you is why (s)he's not here?_

…"_I Hate Myself For Losing You" by Kelly Clarkson…_

"Just say it." Summer said, tear-filled eyes matching the emotions obvious in her voice. "Cohen if you don't love me I promise I will go to Brown, by myself, and I will be cold and miserable and alone…but I will never bother you again."

He stared up at her, unable to fathom how things had gone so wrong so quickly. First she'd slyly found a way to force him to admit his secret, then he'd screwed it up even further by avoiding telling the truth in favor of lying yet again – it was becoming difficult to remember which lie he had told his person. And now she'd somehow decided that he no longer loved her, and wanted him to confirm it. But the truth was, he did still love her, had never stopped. Everything he was doing he was doing out of love, though he knew that she might not see it that way, especially when she didn't know why he was doing it.

Until now he'd been pretty good at keeping actual feelings out of this mess, allowing her to come up with her own assumptions rather than actually spelling things out for her. And now she wanted him to say the words out loud – this would be the hardest lie he'd ever told.

Though he knew it would shatter whatever was left of her heart, he opened his mouth to respond, "I can't."

She looked confused, but he was even more so; that wasn't what he'd intended to say!

"I do love you, Summer." And the words just kept coming, tumbling over one another in their haste to get out before his brain sent the message to shut his mouth and physically stop what he couldn't mentally. "I never stopped loving you, I doubt I ever could. The reason I broke up with you is because I didn't actually get into Brown, and you said you didn't want to go if I didn't go, and I couldn't let you do that, I couldn't let you throw away the future you've worked so hard for just because I didn't get in." He was on a roll now, and glad he'd finally told her the truth, even if he hadn't intended to, so he allowed the words to continue spilling from his mouth, not even attempting to stop the flow of syllables.

"Remember when we sent in our application letters we agreed that whoever got in would go, because it was our dream. I wasn't going to let you miss out on the opportunity just because I wouldn't be in the class next to you." He finally took a breath and looked up at her with trepidation, wondering what her reaction would be to him lying again after he'd promise he wouldn't do so anymore.

Her brown eyes were still liquid with tears, but the gigantic smile on her face told him that these were happy tears.

He attempted to climb the coffee cart, but fell down the same way he had two years ago, so grabbed a chair to use. Her grin only grew bigger as her eyes cleared and he finally took her into his arms.

"Only us here for the not-so-public makeout session this time," Seth whispered as their lips touched for the first time in way too long – neither counted Summer's peck outside the principal's office yesterday.

A real kiss was with equal participation from both parties, and caused sparks to fly between them. Their makeup kiss did all that and more, reminding Seth how dumb it was to have even contemplated spending his life without her, and erasing all doubts Summer had had about his feelings towards her.

"I think that was worth more than 10 bucks," she murmured as they pulled away.

Then she pulled out of his arms and slapped him.

Seth shot straight up, almost cracking his head on the interior car light of the Range Rover as he did so, and wondered for a brief moment why Summer's body wasn't up against his.

The next moment he realised that the dream hadn't happened and the reality of the situation hit him.

He was a coward.

There was no other way of putting it; instead of sucking it up and telling Summer he'd lied and attempting to explain why before she ripped his head off, he'd chosen to make the biggest mistake of his life and break her heart in the process. Even sailing away at the end of sophomore year couldn't compare to the cowardice he'd shown that afternoon.

He'd never forget the look on her fact when he forced the lie out – _how could I have ever said to her face that I don't love her anymore?_ He thought, feeling physically sick as the image of her tear-stained face driving away from Harbor floated into his brain, _and more to the point, why the hell did she believe this lie when she's seen through every other lie I've attempted to tell her?_ – she was utterly devastated. Yes, she'd been upset at the sweatshirt party, but had obviously pinned all her hopes on the assumption that he was just as saddened about the breakup as she was. He was, of course overwhelmed with the notion that he had just lost the best thing in his life, but his resolve to not let her throw away her future for him had obviously created a mask that she was unable to see through in her precarious state of mind.

As soon as he was away from her, however, he had allowed the mask to fall, sitting motionless in driver's seat of the Range Rover with tears streaming down his face for longer than he cared to remember. He had now not only lost his dream college but also the only girl he'd ever loved, and he knew in his heart that he would never love another woman the way he loved Summer. And it was all his fault. He'd lied from the moment he knew the results, and he knew things couldn't possibly end well when lying so prolifically, yet he'd been too much of a coward to tell the truth.

He knew it would take nothing short of a miracle to get Summer to take him back now, even if he attempted to 'unbreak them up' she wouldn't agree unless he told her what he was hiding, which would make her break up with him anyway; it was a lose-lose situation.

He checked his watch and saw that it was almost 9pm – he'd been asleep for a good four hours – and figured he'd better get home before his mother called a search party. As he climbed back into the front of the car he remembered a time just a week ago, before their acceptance letters had arrived (or rejection letter in his case), before everything went to hell in a hand basket.

……FLASHBACK……

The bathtub was practically overflowing with bubbles and the room smelled like tangerines and raspberries, softly lit by the light sneaking in through the small window. Along the counter sat four candles that were more than halfway gone, which added to the _glow_ that Summer was going on about.

Seth had his legs stretched out in the tub, his back curved against the slope of it. Summer sat crossed-legged on top of his knees and faced him as she worked on creating a bubble beard on his face.

"So _when_ did you go to the mall?" Summer asked in disbelief. She furrowed her brows, both in confusion and concentration.

He rolled his eyes. "If you don't drop it, I won't buy them for you again."

She put her hands up in mock surrender. "Okay, okay… It's just a very sweet gesture, Cohen. That's all…" She paused, which suggested to him that she was done… but she wasn't. "I mean, I just can't believe you went to Victoria's Secret to get my favorite candles! Well, I can see the allure of that store for you, obviously… but I just thought that your hatred of chain stores and malls could withstand sexy lingerie models." She shook her head in mock disappointment, still focusing on covering his left cheek with foam.

He rolled her eyes and ignored the accusation though. "Yeah, well, I thought you'd like having them here. You do have, like, almost twenty of them at home."

"True…" she said interrupting.

"But if this is what I'm gonna have to go through next time I buy you something girly or pink or fruity smelling…"

"No, no! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I swear, I love it. And I love you. And I will never again annoy you for doing such a sweet thing…" Summer hadn't realized that she had said she loved him, and smiled in the afterthought of it; she did love the fact that she didn't even have to think about the implications of saying it. She could say it whenever she wanted to, now. "Well, I won't intentionally try to annoy you…" she said with a smirk.

"Yeah, yeah," Seth said, smiling at her little declaration. She had said it many times, but every time he couldn't help but produce a smile.

"Don't smile! You'll ruin it and I'm almost done," Summer shrieked, smoothing the bubbles along his jaw line that had shifted. "Okay, finished," she proclaimed triumphantly.

She scooted down his legs, away from him, to lean against the opposite wall of the tub, now sitting in between his feet.

"Well, how does it look?"

She examined him, her eyes narrowing for a moment before she gave him a small nod and said frankly, "kind of like Santa Claus."

"Oh, exactly the look I was going for," He said sarcastically.

She laughed, her lips curving into a crooked smile. "But you are much… much hotter than Santa," She said seductively.

"Okay new topic. I'm starting to get creepy images here."

"Yeah, okay…" Summer said, leaning forward to brush off the already messy bubbles. When she brushed her fingers near his lips, Seth caught her wrist and lingeringly kissed her palm.

She sat back and smiled at him affectionately. Her head titled against the brass faucet, her legs stretched out between his. He held her feet in his hands and rubbed circles around her ankle, their faces wearing matching enamored smiles.

"I love doing this with you." Seth commented, tracing light fingers up to her knee before trailing back down to her foot.

"What, seeing me naked?" She asked bluntly, knowing that it wasn't what he'd meant.

"You're getting pretty good at ruining the moment. I think the student is on the way to surpassing the master."

"You were never the master, honey, you didn't exactly do it on purpose."

His fingers stilled on the arch of her foot, "Hey! I'll have you know that my father gave me many lessons on the correct ways to ruin different kinds of moments."

Summer simply rolled her eyes and pressed her foot further into his hand – he gave great foot massages.

"What I meant, before I was so rudely interrupted," he continued, mock-glaring at her, "Is that I love spending time with you, alone, doing everyday things. Like taking showers or eating breakfast."

She grinned, moving back to his side of the tub and sitting astride his thighs, "I love spending time with you too. And think of how much more time we're going to get to do normal stuff together when we're at college together next year." She commented before capturing his lips in a gentle kiss.

…END FLASHBACK…

When he got home he immediately made for the poolhouse, knowing that Ryan's presence in the room would do a great deal to calm him down even before the man himself got back.

He was so absorbed in his own problems he wouldn't have noticed his mother in the kitchen had she not spoken to him. She looked suspicious, like she was trying to hide something, like she felt guilty about something, but his mind was far too preoccupied with his own lies to worry about attempting to decipher his mother's shifty glances and the way she was trying desperately to avoid looking him in the eye. He babbled something about movies when she asked him where he'd been, knowing that she had no idea what he was talking about, then continued on his way to his brother's domain.

Ryan would have the answers. Ryan always had the answers to everything. He would be able to come up with an awesome plan to not only get Summer back but also allow him to keep all of his limbs as well. He would prevent Seth from doing something completely stupid but at the same time he wouldn't interrupt when Seth was explaining his flawed, totally unworkable plans.

Ryan would make everything OK.

THE END

So sorry for the massively long wait, but I really haven't been in a writing mood lately. Though now that Seth & Summer are back together I'll probably have enough inspiration to be able to get another chapter or two out before the season finale.

This chapter is dedicated to those who wanted to see more of Seth's feelings in this story. I know I tend to focus more on Summer, and that's because I feel a lot more comfortable in her head than I do in Seth's – and that's not only to do with the fact that I'm a girl. So I hope this turned out OK, and that it isn't too OOC.

I gave in to my desire to write an AU-ending to the coffee cart scene, and eventually combined the two in what I hope was a realistic dream for Seth to have had.

Remember to sign your reviews and I'll respond, and also let me know your fav line of dialogue – thanks to everyone who did so last time, I loved all your responses.


	22. 322 The College Try

**The College Try**

**By Somebody's Angel**

_Seems like just yesterday  
You were a part of me  
I used to stand so tall  
I used to be so strong  
Your arms around me tight  
Everything, it felt so right  
Unbreakable, like nothin' could go wrong_

_Now I can't breathe  
No I can't sleep  
I'm barely hanging on_

Summer walked into her bedroom after a Friday night 'family' dinner – a new occurrence that both Marissa and Summer attempted to duck out of as quickly as possible without being rude, lest their respective parents should happen to emerge from their happy cocoon and ask either girl about her life, Summer escaping to her room and Marissa to Volchok's – shutting the door behind her and leaning her weight against the wooden frame. Rubbing a hand over her eyes, she was hardly surprised to feel them wet with moisture, fresh with tears she only ever allowed herself to shed when alone. She walked across the room, shedding clothes as she moved, until she was in her ensuite and wearing only bra and panties. She took off her makeup without actually looking at her reflection, doing her best to avoid the empty brown eyes in the glass above the sink; fairly sure she'd rip the mirror from the wall if she looked into the vacant stare, and God knew she didn't need any more bad luck than she's got with her right now. It wasn't like the resigned, defeated girl she saw was a stranger to Summer; this new person had become a familiar though unwelcome sight over the past two weeks, a constant presence since that fateful Saturday detention.

Her pajamas were always flannel lately, though it was now May, but no matter how many blankets she covered herself with, she couldn't get warm enough to be comfortable. She dreaded lying down, dreaded waiting for the sleep that she knew wouldn't come despite the heaviness of her eyelids. She had never before been this tired, and it was becoming harder and harder to cover the bags under her eyes each morning. When she closed her eyes she could see him, see his face when he was dreaming.

But she didn't remember her dreams anymore. She didn't sleep well. She lay down at the same time every night and waited, avoiding the accusing red glare of her alarm clock as it ticked over the minutes and hours. Sleep came in short, violent bursts – she would find herself suddenly awake, eyes wide open when she couldn't remember closing them in the first place. It wasn't restful sleep, either, not sleep she could actually feel resting any part of her body. Whenever she started awake she was more tired than the last time. Her last full night of sleep – the Saturday night after she had finally shooed Taylor away, convincing the blonde she would be fine alone – had been plagued by nightmares, Seth's peaceful face twisting into a grimace of pain the second she closed her eyes. Though she didn't remember the content of the nightmare, her screaming had woken both herself and Marissa, sleeping just a bathroom away. Surprisingly, there had been no repeat incident, and Summer had to admit that her inability to sleep for long periods was probably due to the fear of the nightmare coming back.

_Here I am, once again  
I'm torn into pieces  
Can't deny it  
Can't pretend  
Just thought you were the one  
Broken up deep inside  
But you won't get to see the tears I cry  
Behind these hazel eyes_

Sliding into bed, Summer clutched her stuffed unicorn to her chest – a present from Marissa for her eighth birthday that she'd dug out of her closet after the shooting to keep her company when she couldn't cuddle with Seth at night. At first it had been because she didn't want to be alone in bed, while the scent of gunpowder still hung over all their heads, but as the year went on it became simply a substitute for the warmth and comfort Seth provided, especially when she would have otherwise been home alone. Locks and burglar alarms had nothing on stuffed toys when it came to the emotional security they provided.

Three disrupted 'naps' later it was around 3 am and Summer had been tossing and turning for the past hour, unable to fall back asleep. At first, she thought someone was knocking on her bedroom door. Then she thought she'd left the sink on in her bathroom because she kept hearing something drip.

But after minutes upon minutes of thinking about these things, she figured it was just her imagination. She knew it wasn't the sink, and she had checked her door – twice – and there was no one there. It was something else…something she couldn't quite put her finger on.

She opened her eyes and got up, suddenly realizing what it was. Reaching for the calendar that sat on her night table (on Seth's side of the bed), she flipped the page to today's date. The word of the day was 'zaligheid', which apparently meant bliss in Dutch. _Ironic,_ she thought, closing her eyes and tilting her head back, trying hard not to let any tears fall.

It was now officially May 14th.

It would have been their one year anniversary.

…FLASHBACK…

Seth placed one of his hands on her cheek, and kissed the side of her mouth softly, slowly with exacting skill. With his other hand, he retrieved hers to hold between his own. He slowly led her off the stage, out of the gym, the pink – _magenta,_ he reminded himself – fabric of her dress swishing as she walked.

They went all the way outside, and stopped at the limo. Seth gestured for her to get in, and though she shot him a confused look, she complied with his wishes. He followed her inside and kneeled on the floor in front of her, taking her hands in his once again. She met his eyes with shy reluctance, and saw the want in his, the intensity that made her fear and want him all at once. Her heart skipped quite a few beats.

"Summer," he spoke softly, entwining the fingers of his hand with hers, kissing it as he gazed into her eyes. Her heart was in her throat as his voice came softly to her ears. He was sure she could hear the thundering of his heart. "I…love you, Summer."

Though he had told her twice before, this was the first time he had spoken the words in private, and with no danger of interruptions. He watched her reaction carefully; the other times he'd told her she'd never gotten the chance to reply, and his heart was almost thumping out of his chest with the realisation that this time she would say something.

"Seth…" Her mouth went dry, her heart beating wildly. She felt as though she couldn't speak, her heart was beating so very fast in her throat, and she swallowed several times to try to force it away. She smiled at him after a moment, the butterflies still vicious in her stomach. "Seth, I…I…I-"

"You don't have to say it back just 'cause I did," he told her quickly, embarrassed as his face turned bright red. Maybe in front of the entire school wasn't exactly the right time for such an admission, but hell, he couldn't fight it anymore than he could breathing – and despite the fact he knew she knew, he wanted…needed to say the words out loud. He had just given up the deal of a lifetime to be with her, and as much as he'd screwed up in the past he hoped that this would finally show her exactly how he felt about her. Seth had always been a verbal person, and it was killing him not to be able to verbalise his feelings, but now it seemed like he was forcing her to make a response, and he felt he should have maybe told her another time… "I just wanted you to know how I feel…I mean I know you know, but I just wanted to tell you out loud…you know?"

He brushed it off like it was no big thing, but she was giving him a happy frown as she pulled their arms apart and fell into his embrace, his arms automatically enveloping her slim form. Her heart was beating like a jackhammer and she couldn't stop the wild grin on her face as she put his perplexed, even bewildered, face between her hands. "I'm not saying it just because you did…" she spoke as the words came unbidden. "I love you," she said with prefect enunciation, stressing each word as importantly as the next as she looked into his eyes. She realized what she was saying, the words surprising even her as she looked at him quite differently. Her stomach did somersaults. She had known it for a long time, but actually _saying _it out loud, and to his _face_, was so monumentally different to knowing it that she was almost overcome with relief that she was finally able to articulate her feelings. "I love you," she said softer with admitted honesty, looking down at him as if she'd been so very blind to the fact.

It seemed to baffle her, and she realized it was so simple now. She _did_ love him. Loved him more than she had even been aware, and possibly for longer than she had ever realized. Most definitely it had been deep down, locked away from her mind's eye so she wouldn't be distracted by any other feeling than to be aloof to him. Marissa was right. She did need a little push in the right direction, and he was the main factor in bringing such awareness out. She knew he made her life interesting, and she was always glad to see him, even when she was angry with him. He liked being with and around her. All the little teasing things he did, everything he did whenever he was with her…it all made her heart beat a little bit faster, and now she understood why, and it wasn't because he was leading her into an early grave.

She had been aware of most of this for a couple of months now – since that blissful rainy day three months ago – but hadn't been able to actually say the words out loud – even to herself. It was to do with her abandonment issues; the last words she had said to her mother's face had been "I love you mom" as her mother kissed her goodnight the same night she up and left. She had never told anyone that fact, and though both her father and Marissa had noticed she only ever said 'me too' when they told her they loved her, neither knew the reason behind it. Though she had acted stoic when Zach left tonight, inside she was so torn she was amazed no one else saw it. When she had seen Seth running up to her, very obviously having just made the dash across town from his meeting with George Lucas, her heart threatened to take flight and she knew he would never again just abandon her.

"I do love you Cohen," she said, taking his hand in hers and placing it against her chest. She knew he could feel the crazy rhythm of her heartbeat as much as she herself could. "This is what you do to me, Seth Cohen. No one else does."

He half-laughed, half-snickered. "Are you saying I'm giving you a heart-attack?"

She frowned and punched him half-heartedly. "Cohen, I was being serious," she said grumpily, feigning distress.

He smirked and pushed her onto her back on the carpeted floor of the limo, inundating her with kisses until her faked-frown was replaced with a smile. "Oh I love you, Summer. You drive me nuts and I love it," he said in-between kisses, tangling his hand in her hair and pulling her tight to him. "You know how badly I've missed you these last couple of weeks?"

She half-grinned with uncertainty. "I can guess…" She muttered something about fights in comic books stores and her reputation bloated out of proportion. He laughed.

"I love you I love you I love you," he repeated with happy relief as he kissed her everywhere there was skin showing, causing her to laugh.

She pulled his face back to hers to kiss him for a long time, slowly and un-rushed, becoming more methodical as her hands luxuriated in his skin. He was more meticulous as he kissed her back, taking his time in allowing his hands to refamiliarize themselves with her curves. They said nothing for a long time, quiet in mutual silence and merely communicating through kisses and touches, each getting drunk off the other's lips.

…END FLASHBACK…

_I told you everything  
Opened up and let you in  
You made alright for once in my life  
Now all that's left of me  
Is what I pretend to be  
So together, but so broken up inside_

_Cause I can't breathe  
No I can't sleep  
I'm barely holding on_

Summer opened her eyes and looked at her clock; she'd actually gotten two full hours sleep for the first time in more than two weeks. She sighed and got out of bed, there was no point in lingering, no arms to wrap around her and no sleep-hoarse voice to murmur 'good morning' in her ear. She turned off the alarm – for a second she wondered why she even bothered turning it on, she inevitably got up around 6 because she couldn't be bothered trying to fall asleep once again – and headed into the bathroom, trying not to think about how lonely it was sleeping alone. The sheets were never warm; there was no one to cuddle into; there was no long, slow lovemaking to look forward to after a rough day. Only cold sheets and that damn, pink satin comforter that provided no comfort whatsoever. The satin that had once seemed such an awesome idea was now a forlorn reminder of what she'd lost – satin was much colder to the touch than cotton.

Shedding her clothes, she turned away from her bare body in the mirror and turned the shower on as hot as she could stand it, hoping some of the heat would seep into her instead of just reddening her skin. Once under the water she couldn't distinguish her tears from the water running down her face, though the stinging behind her eyes let her know she was crying.

_Here I am, once again  
I'm torn into pieces  
Can't deny it  
Can't pretend  
Just thought you were the one  
Broken up deep inside  
But you won't get to see the tears I cry  
Behind these hazel eyes_

No one ever ran out of hot water in Newport, so it was only Marissa's banging on the door on her side of the bathroom that caused Summer to finally shut off the water and step out. The cream towel, though it looked fluffy enough to the eye, was rough against her skin, and her moisturiser was colder than usual. Wrapping the towel around herself once again, Summer unlocked Marissa's door and immediately exited back into her own room.

Saturday morning used to be the best time of the week. It was the beginning of two days of freedom, but that was only part of it. With nothing to rush off to, Seth and Summer were able to enjoy just walking up together. He'd roll over and see her face, youthful and relaxed in slumber, and then he'd make bets with himself on how long he'd be able to just look at her without touching. It was never more than ten minutes. Then there were the rare times when she woke before him, and his wake-up call became her lips against his shoulder or her slender hand tracing lines along his chest.

There weren't any words spoken. They would have been redundant.

Words would come a few minutes later, when they were both fully awake, and often they would be snarky innuendo, or teasing little remarks, interspersed with more serious things that needed the surrounding humor as a shield. They'd make love, or not, depending on their moods, and would eventually leave the bed and start the day together. Now she started and ended the day alone.

_Swallow me then spit me out  
For hating you I blame myself  
Just seeing you it kills me now  
No I don't cry  
On the outside  
Anymore…_

She surveyed her room, carefully skipping over every item that reminded her of Seth (there weren't many items remaining to look at). Her eyes landed on the suitcase lying open on the floor, clothes spilling out every which way, and was reminded that she had a flight to Rhode Island later that day. She was going to Brown by herself, and had no idea how she would cope against the 'really smart, interesting' people without Seth by her side to rescue her from the social blunders she was sure to fall into. She just hoped she could find some people who weren't rocket-scientist-smart, with whom she could have an actual conversation with and possibly understand most of what they said.

She sat on the bed, staring out the window but not seeing anything, trying to breathe. She knew there was nothing she could do, nothing short of drinking herself into oblivion, to short-circuit the overwhelming sensation of being without. The need wasn't something she could give up, get rid of – its very presence was absence, and that was what she had been trying to clean away – a futile attempt to force the pain down the drain with the water and her tears. She tried the same thing every morning, but it never worked.

_Here I am, once again  
I'm torn into pieces  
Can't deny it  
Can't pretend  
Just thought you were the one  
Broken up deep inside  
But you won't get to see the tears I cry  
Behind these hazel eyes_

Sighing, she moved to her closet and pulled out some clothes, working on auto-pilot. Though she didn't pay attention to the clothes she pulled on, habit determined that they were perfectly co-ordinated. Summer sat at her vanity and began putting on her makeup. It was thicker and more complicated than two weeks ago, a veritable mask against the pain that lingered in her heart. She had masked her feelings before, for many years after her mother left and she 'met' Seth, so it was a case of simply falling back on old routines that allowed her to show a perfectly functional person on the outside when she was falling apart on the inside.

_Here I am, once again  
I'm torn into pieces  
Can't deny it  
Can't pretend  
Just thought you were the one  
Broken up deep inside  
But you won't get to see the tears I cry  
Behind these hazel eyes_

THE END

Sorry it's taken so long! Yes, this is my mantra after practically every chapter, but I really do apologise. RL has not been kind lately, and it shows no signs of letting up. My new goal is to finish this series before the new season starts, so don't expect very frequent updates, but I promise it will be updated eventually!

As always, reviews are most welcome, especially your favourite line. Originally this chapter was a picture of Summer's feelings before and after seeing Seth and Anna in Providence, but a friend said it was too angsty, so I cut it in half and added the flashback – which was from The O.Sea, for anyone confused.


	23. 323 The Party Favor

**The Party Favor**

**By Somebody's Angel**

"Hey, rigatoni…that's awesome." Seth commented as he awkwardly placed a hand under Summer, preventing her from falling off the couch. Her drunken grab for her tiara had caused her already compromised balance to be completely obliterated, and she would have been face first in her bucket if it weren't for Seth.

He gently pushed her back onto the couch when she was finished, and she closed her eyes. He wondered if she was asleep, but as soon as he moved to sit next to her on the couch her eyes flickered open.

"Stop the room I wanna get off." She grumbled as she slowly sat up, immediately leaning to rest her head on Seth's shoulder when the movement caused her nausea to return.

He stroked her hair and placed a kiss on her temple, whispering "I'm so sorry" into her ear.

"A'm frightfully 'minded why I don' get drunk on a regular basis," Summer mumbled, lacing her fingers through his.

Seth chose not to comment on that statement; three years had changed them both immensely, and neither needed to be reminded of what they were before they had one another. "You wanna go home?" he asked.

She moved her head to nod, but found that the movement increased the pounding in her head, so instead vocalised her assent. "Yeah, lemme wash m' face first."

She couldn't stand upright by herself – the alcohol coursing through her system was still affecting her balance – so Seth wrapped an arm around her waist. He relished the feel of her body under his palm, and wondered how he could ever have contemplated life without his Little Miss Vixen by his side.

After washing her face and rinsing her mouth, Summer exited the bathroom and launched herself at Seth. He avoided her searching mouth and held up a pack of breath mints.

"Mmm, good idea." She took the packet from his hands and popped two mints, staggering when she tried to stand on her own.

"I'm so sorry for causing you all this pain." Seth mumbled as they slowly walked out of the Bait Shop. "I love you so much, and I didn't want you to throw away your future to be with me."

"I'm sorry too. I know you tried to explain earlier, in Rhode Island, at the diner, sending Pixie-girl…I should have let you talk." Summer rambled, ticking off on her fingers as she made her list.

Seth contemplated stopping her and forcing her to listen to him, but knew it would be useless; he'd seen her drunk enough times to know she was past the point of fully understanding an emotional discussion. She had never passed out because of booze, as Marissa had more times than they cared to count, but with enough liquor in her system she got giggly and gave long rambling speeches that revealed far more of her feelings than anything she said while sober.

"I was so scared of losing you that I let you push me away." She continued, and Seth stopped, confused. She didn't notice her boyfriend's lack of movement until she moved completely clear of him and began to list to one side. He was back by her side before she fell, encouraging her to place an arm around his shoulders to help her stand upright. They resumed walking towards the limo waiting outside as Summer continued rambling about fears Seth had never known she felt. "Way back when we were fighting about our college applications…Taylor was tormenting me about you and I going to colleges on opposite sides of the country and I was freaking out about you going to a smart-people college and meeting a bunch of really smart, interesting girls and realising you're supposed to be with one of them not me." Summer finally took a breath as she got into the limo. Seth heard the shake in the inhalation and knew she was close to tears; even in her inebriated state the topic was distressing her. He tried to look into her eyes for evidence of tears, but she studiously avoided his gaze.

Seth climbed in behind her, both confused and enlightened; he suddenly understood why she had been so willing to believe his barefaced lie that he didn't love her, and why she had been so quick to believe he and Anna were together when they met at Brown. And yet he was baffled as to why she hadn't shared these concerns before, why she hadn't fought for him when she assumed he was moving on.

She arranged herself right next to him on the seat, leaning her head on his shoulder and clasping his hand in hers on his thigh. "I was scared you were finally going to realise that I was just a high school crush, that I was fun to be with but not the person you wanted to spend the rest of your life with. And then you said you didn't want to go to Brown, and I saw you there with Anna, and I…I flipped out coz I thought I was right about wanting to be with smart girls. I raged out on you and didn't listen when you were trying to explain why you were there with her." Summer's hand was rubbing his thigh now; up and down as she spoke, and she averted her eyes from his searching stare. "And because it was Anna it was so much worse. I know we've been through this a million times, but I can't help but be worry that one day you're finally going to realise that she's perfect for you." Seth opened his mouth to retort but she continued to ramble, apparently completely oblivious to his presence, despite the fact the she was talking to him. "You have so much in common with her…the comics, the sailing, the style…you and I have next to nothing in common, and I'm always afraid you're going to get bored with me, we can't even talk about our interests without one of us being totally lost. Yeah you always say we have chemistry, but that will only take us so far – a relationship based on sex isn't going to be a long-lasting one, not in any language…" She trailed into silence, closing her eyes as she did so.

Seth waited for a moment, believing she was simply catching her breath, but when the movement of her body against his side evened out and her exhalations became regular and slow, he concluded she had fallen asleep. Raking a hand through her chestnut curls – taking care not to dislodge the plastic crown her drunken self had taken so much pride in – he leaned his head back on the headrest and relished the feeling of her sleeping in his arms.

……………………

Summer woke up as soon as the smooth movement of the limo stopped, and for a moment she was disoriented. Then the familiar scent of Seth next to her enveloped her senses, and his arms around her penetrated the drunken haze her mind was currently situated in.

"Home sweet home." He said softly, her small movements letting him know she was awake. "Can you get out ok?"

"I think I know how to get out of a fucking car, thanks," she snapped before fiddling with the door handle for half a minute as he stared at her in amusement.

She was just about to climb out the window when he reached across her and opened the door. Mumbling something that resembled a "thanks" she stumbled out, then grasped the car as she tried to regain her balance.

By the time Seth explained what he would like the driver to do – wait until he came back out – and made his way out of the car, Summer was crouched on the sidewalk over a storm drain, appearing to be intently studying the grate.

"Summer? Are you coming or did you want to make friends with wet leaves and old beer cans?" All he got for a reply was a low groan followed by a loud retching sound. _Well, at least she waited until she was out of the limo._

Moving quickly to help her stand up, Seth helped her into the house, thanking the Lord that she was now sober enough to locate her house keys in her miniscule purse.

Once in her bedroom he took her to the bathroom to rinse her mouth and wash her face once again, then allowed her to collapse on her bed. But even half-asleep she refused to let go of his hand, so he was forced to join her on the bed. The pale pink satin felt cool underneath his fingertips, and the texture brought a rush of memories of nights and afternoons and mornings spent messing up the perfectly made bed with Summer.

"Love you Cohen." The words burbled out from between Summer's head and the pillow she was currently face-down upon. "Don't leave me." Her fingers tightened around his as she spoke, and Seth's chest tightened as he watched her other hand curl around the stuffed unicorn he knew she slept with when he wasn't by her side.

Seth loved watching her when she slept. There was something so stunning about her form when she was completely relaxed; an innocence that seeped into her limbs that had been absent from her awake body since long before he was anywhere near the picture. The moonlight, muted by the slats of the blinds in her bedroom, danced and dappled across her skin like pixie dust.

He had never known he could love someone like this, and while the emotions sometimes threatened to overwhelm him he found that loving Summer was strangely exhilarating. He was still amazed that she would feel the same way about him. For so long, he had considered himself a lost cause – irreversibly relegated to 'dork' status, never to feel the love of a friend, let alone a girlfriend.

And then Ryan had come, and he had changed Seth's life. Ryan's instant connection with Marissa had led Seth into a world he had always want to be a part of but had never been able to break the invisible barrier between himself and the rest of Harbor; fights and alcohol and girls. He had to credit Anna's appearance as well, for he knew it had been his dismissal of Summer at Cotillion that had first put him on her radar. And by the time school started sophomore year Seth was in a place he had never known before. He had friends, female ones at that, and Ryan's constant presence by his side meant the water polo team no longer tortured him. By the time first semester ended he had two girls chasing him to become more than friends, one of them the girl he had loved for six years.

Finally he had gotten the girl of his dreams, and though they had their ups and downs, on the whole he was ecstatically happy with his life so far. And he had been ready to give it all up just because he wanted her to do something. She had spoken to him just after Kaitlin returned to Newport, explaining her father's concerns about their relationship and her choice of college. He had reassured her that he would never force her to do anything she didn't want to do; they both knew she was as stubbornly independent as he, a symptom of the 'only child' syndrome they both experienced.

And, he realised, by breaking up with her he had essentially been forcing her to do exactly that – something she didn't want to do. Who was he to decide what was best for her? As she had told him time and time again, before his arrival in her life she would have struggled to get into any college, let alone an Ivy League. If she believed being with him was more important that being at Brown he shouldn't deny her the choice, even if he believed her decision wasn't the smartest.

As he had experienced in the past few weeks, the pain of not getting into the college he wanted was nothing compared to the twist in his heart at the sight of the pain on Summer's face when he told her he didn't love her anymore. Though Seth had experienced life without Summer before, the previous year together had brought them so close that he couldn't imagine going an extended amount of time without seeing her, being able to touch her and tell her how much he cared; the past few weeks had been more torturous than any of their previous separations.

He let his hand brush from her shoulder to her hip, marveling at the softness of her skin and the firmness of her body under that skin. He could see the faint marks under her eyes, where lack of sleep had caused bruise-colored circles that no amount of makeup could completely conceal.

Leaning into her, he ran the bridge of his nose gently along her collarbone, inhaling deeply as he did so, enjoying the scent of strawberries and Summer, his elation at finally coming clean allowing him to ignore the stench of the bourbon she had been drinking all night. When he felt her hand slide sleepily up his leg, he smiled against her mostly-bare back.

"I'm sorry," he whispered huskily, "I didn't mean to wake you."

"Yes y'did," she murmured sleepily, but he could hear the smile in her voice. "You gon' stay?"

"No." Seth replied just as softly, causing her to turn towards him, a frown etched onto her features. He quickly elaborated, "I don't want to just jump back into things without at least taking some time to think about how we got out of them in the first place."

Summer was still partially drunk, so confusion reigned in her eyes for a few moments while her brain caught up with her ears. When the comprehension dawned on her, her features her face fell, but at the same time she gave a single nod to show her assent. Immediately she put a hand to her forehead – the alcohol was still playing havoc on her senses. Her arm pressed warmly across his ribcage, and he sighed at the easy weight. He felt her hair pooling around his shoulder, felt her lips as they nipped at his pulse point. He heard her gentle sigh, felt the wet exhalation on his neck, and the slight noise sent a hot sizzle of desire to the pit of his belly. It was with great reluctance that he pulled away from her wandering lips.

"I love you, Summer," he whispered. "But I'm not going to stay with you tonight. I love you too much to take advantage of you like this." His hands belied his words as they made increasingly elaborate patterns on her back, but finally he dragged his fingers away from her incredibly soft skin and got up off the bed.

"I love you too, Cohen," she whispered. Her fathomless chocolate eyes slowly closed as her body shut down to cycle the alcohol out of her system. "I love you too."

THE END

I don't even have the words to apologise for the lateness of this instalment – RL is amazingly hectic, not to mention my muse has gone on strike, seemingly until the new season. As you've probably figured out, I highly doubt I'll be able to finish this story before the S4 premiere. The 3.25 instalment is almost definitely going to veer into AU land, so I ask for your opinion – should I wait and try to keep it close to canon (i.e. do 3.24 first) or do my own idea for Summer's reaction to Marissa's death?

As always, your comments and questions are greatly appreciated, and in addition to your fav lines in this chapter, I'd love to know your fav instalment over the whole story – and the reasons why please!


	24. 324 The Man of the Year

**The Man of the Year**

**By Somebody's Angel**

"I wanna be on top this time." Summer blurted out, pushing him onto his back on the bed and straddling his hips.

"But you're always on top-" Seth got out before her lips covered his once again, and all thoughts evaporated beyond Summer and the feelings she was evoking in him.

Seth was pretty damn good with words, but there were still so many things he felt incapable of vocalizing. There were torrents of emotion that could only be released through his hands, his mouth, his body. He loosed all of his feelings as he gripped her shoulders, pulling her down against his chest and releasing her hair from its band.

One mistake. One asinine move on his part had almost cost him this. Almost cost him the feel of her slim back beneath his hand, and the silk of her hair as he gently pulled the braid apart, like water cascading over his wrist. He pulled back far enough to pull her top over her head, and then held her close again, ravaging her mouth again, breathing in the scent of her skin, and thanking God, Anna and Summer that he hadn't already fucked things up beyond repair.

He was dimly aware of her lips against his ear, and the soft, breathy voice emanating from them. He could feel her words thrumming beneath his mouth at the base of her throat.

"Slow down…we've got all day," she whispered, her tone impish yet more than a little aroused. She knew the reason for his hastiness, felt the urge herself to have his bare skin against hers as soon as possible, and yet she couldn't bear to rush it. She wanted to savor every kiss, every touch, knowing that she had almost lost him, almost lost this for good. And though they still had more than a little stuff to work out, she knew in her heart that there was nothing they couldn't work out as long as they talked it through.

Eventually Summer was spread out before him, naked and creamy, exposed and beautiful. He loved that he knew where her sensitive spots were, where she liked to be kissed, what made her moan, where she was ticklish, where the scar was from when she got stitches when she was nine, and where the occasional freckles that smattered across her flawless skin that he loved to run his tongue across were. She felt like the best present to him, mainly because she had made him feel again, all that was good and bad, and he realized in flashes how he had ridden that train over the past few weeks, and how silly he had been, and how dramatic and childish at times also, but that was who he was. He was lucky that she realized that, even if she had missed it the past weeks, though almost always she seemed to _know_. He looked at the woman in front of him, with her dark hair spread out on the pillow behind her head like a goddess, and felt lucky that this wasn't an illusion, that he _could_ feel her skin and the weight of her ankle as he lifted it in his hand. _This_ was real, and not in his mind, and that was beyond good.

He slowly kissed his way up from her feet to her mouth, wanting nothing more than to run his tongue over every inch of skin on her body to refamiliarise himself with her curves. The only thing stopping him was her moans, whimpers and threats; as much as he wanted to lavish attention on innocuous parts of her body, he believed her threats to disallow him future access if he didn't "_get on with it already!"_

……………………

Half an hour later, Summer lay boneless against Seth's chest, trying to catch her breath, as Seth heaved lungfuls of air underneath her. She knew he was looking at her, but she couldn't summon the energy to open her eyes. She doubted she could move, even if Seth's parents entered the room.

Wow. That was…he was…wow. They'd had great sex before, but the people who said make-up sex was the best were absolutely right.

Seth watched her face, more relaxed and open than he'd seen in a long time, and couldn't suppress a self-satisfied grin. He'd wiped her out, and he was damn happy about it. Summer cracked one eyelid and looked at him, then shut it again.

"Look at you, all proud of yourself," she murmured, her voice muffled against his neck.

"Mmmmhmmm."

She yawned. "I'll let you get away with it this time."

"Whatever you say, Summer."

"Good boy." She reached up and patted his head, then went still again.

Nudging her, Seth was able to maneuver her limp body into a more comfortable position next to him, her hand on his shoulder and an arm resting across his stomach.

They remained quiet for awhile, until their breathing evened out, simply relishing the other's presence.

"Summer?" Seth broke the silence, as usual.

"Mmm?" She murmured, too content in the warmth emanating from his body so close to hers to be annoyed at his incessant wish to talk.

"What do you remember about last night?" He was uncertain about broaching the question, but felt it was important – obviously she remembered his confession and their reunion, but what about her later declarations?

Summer blushed and squirmed in Seth's arms; uncomfortable with discussing her drinking with Seth when he was the reason she had been drinking in the first place. "Umm…you said you were sorry for lying…and I was sorry for not letting you explain."

"Anything else?" He asked, not wanting to break the news to her unless he was sure she didn't remember herself.

Her brow wrinkled as she tried to pull the bourbon-soaked memory from her brain, "Nope, that's it." She looked up at him, and noticed his serious face, "I didn't do anything really embarrassing, did I?"

Deciding to leave the specifics of her prom queen acceptance speech out of the conversation, Seth pulled her closer and traced a finger over her bare hip. "No…but you did tell me some things I was surprised to hear."

She was curious now, "Like what?"

"You told me you were scared of losing me." The comment was so succinct and so un-Seth that Summer stayed silent for a moment, processing both what she had apparently said and the obvious importance it held for Seth; hardly anything made him talk in short, coherent sentences. True to form, he couldn't bear to let the silence stretch for too long, and continued, this time rambling in the way that she both loved and hated, "Apparently you were…are scared that the girl of my dreams is not the one I want to spend the rest of my life with…that despite the fact that you got into Brown and I didn't, I was going to want a smart girlfriend instead of the so-called high-school girlfriend that you think you are. So you let me push you away instead of seeing through my lies like you usually do."

When put that way, Summer could understand how her confession would have shocked Seth, and she heard the hurt expressed in his voice at her assumption he would leave her as soon as something better came along. "Seth…they were just fears. We both have the assumption that we're not good enough for one another, and the fact that we're so different is always going to cause anxiety when we find someone we have a lot in common with."

"Like Anna." His voice was flat; he hated going over this with Summer, but knew that they were never going to get past it if they didn't talk about it. "Summer, you know she's just my friend. Yes we have a lot in common, but my feelings for her will only ever extend to friendship. I love her as a friend, like you love Marissa as a friend." He knew it wasn't the same thing, as he had no reason to think Summer would leave him for Marissa, but it was the best comparison he could come up with.

"Yeah, I know." She said, her eyes studying the pale blue sheet twisted in her fingers. "I'm sorry for doubting you."

"And I'm sorry for lying to you, even if it was for your sake."

"I _can_ make my own decisions, you know. I don't need you or anyone else forcing me to do what you think is best for me."

"I know, I know. But the day before we got our college letters" he carefully excluded the word 'acceptance', the omission of which Summer noticed, "you said you weren't going without me. I didn't want you to throw away the opportunity to go to an _Ivy League_ school just because I wouldn't be in the next dorm."

"But that was before I actually got accepted and realised that I'm not as dumb as I thought."

"You've never been dumb, Jay, you just didn't apply yourself properly." Seth laced his fingers through hers in a show of faith for her intelligence. He was quiet a moment, thinking about what she'd said. "So if I'd told you straight out that I hadn't gotten in, you would have gone anyway?"

"Well…" She fidgeted under his scrutiny, avoiding answering until his finger on her chin forced her to meet his eyes. "I want to be with you more than I want to go to any particular college, so I'd probably have suggested applying to a different school together." The 'exactly my point' look in his eyes forced her to continue, "But if you'd applied to RISD or another school close by I would have agreed…eventually."

He seemed satisfied by that answer, and kissed her gently. "From now on, if you or I do something dumb, we'll work it out. We'll yell. Or I'll sulk and then you'll kick me in the butt and then we'll yell."

"We do that so well, you and me," she said, and he felt the lightness in her voice, the relief.

"Among many other things," he growled, and she laughed. "I love you, Summer. I can't breathe, think, stand, anything, unless you're in my life."

He kissed her. Gentle, at first, and just the taste of her again, after so long apart, sent him spiraling, dizzy, and he realized what he'd almost lost forever. He drew back only long enough to whisper, "We're a team, you and me." And the kiss he gave her then told her of his hunger, told her just how much he'd ached for her, and she matched it in force, in urgency. They melted into each other again, lying together, stretched out across his bed, and he could feel the length of her, the curves pressing against him.

This time was the hard, fast time they'd suppressed before; both allowing their lust for one another to take over. It left Seth with deep scratches in his back where she'd gouged him with her nails, and Summer with dark bruises on her hips where he'd gripped her, and both with the slow bodily ache that told them they would be sore later.

As they lay in the afterglow, Seth's damp curls resting on Summer's shoulder, she tried to compose a mental list of the things she loved about him. She lost count. There were so many things…

She loved how he could massage her shoulders after a long day, and that he always knew exactlywhere she needed the most pressure.

She loved feeling his weight on top of her as he cried out her name.

She loved seeing him walk by at school, polo and cords hanging loosely on his slightly-built frame, and thinking: _He's mine._

She loved how husky his voice was first thing in the morning.

She loved the way he reached for her hand when they walked together, and how her hand molded into his.

She loved how all the romantic clichés she had previously rolled her eyes at now made perfect sense.

She loved waking up not to a screeching alarm clock, but Seth's lips on her neck.

She loved learning new things about him every day, even after all this time, and how he wasn't scared to share with her his thoughts on the future.

She loved their private jokes – plastic horses, hardware stores, Tijuana, jesters, among others.

She loved how he always knew exactly the way to make her laugh, no matter how she was previously feeling.

She loved the safety and protection of being in his arms.

She loved the little things he would do for her, like spending his money on her shopping, or answering the door at her house.

She loved how beautiful he made her feel, just by looking at her, and the cute little comments he made about her need to beautify herself before she left the house.

…FLASHBACK…

It was the morning after Marissa had been accepted back to Harbor, and Summer had rolled out of bed _way_ too early, in Seth's opinion.

He rolled his eyes and checked his watch. "It's six o'clock."

"Perfect amount of time for me to be showered, groomed, and presentable so I look great in the Senior Class photo."

"You're already beautiful," he pleaded, taking her hand and holding it tight.

It was Summer's turn to roll her eyes. "Maybe to _you_ I'm beautiful in the morning, but to everyone else who has a sensible head, I'm a monster. I promise."

He gave a pathetic last try. "I love you?" he said, more as a question than a statement.

She giggled and shook her head at her lack of self-control. Some independent woman _she_ was. Sleeping in her boyfriend's arms and allowing him to intrude on her morning ritual.

Then, before he could even react, she threw herself into his arms and placed a long, tender kiss on his lips. Seth laughed out of his nose and wrapped his arms around her back before dragging them back down onto the pillows.

After another drawn out kiss he pulled away and propped himself on his elbows, just looking at her. It amazed her how he thought simply staring at her was amusing. When they first got together she was self-conscious about it, and worried that he was just staring at a fleck of dirt on her nose or something. Other times she was too embarrassed to look back, especially when they were both without clothes. Now she could spend hours counting his freckles, or noting the flecks of color in his brown eyes.

It was funny how long it took her to notice so many things about him. He'd always had the same eyes, long dark eyelashes, and the same curly, unruly hair. To think that a mere three years ago she would have turned her nose up at even sitting in his vicinity. She was so immature back then, even though others would have said the same thing about him. It was amazing to think just how much they'd all grown. Ryan was thought to be much the same. Mature, strong, and brave. But really, he'd changed just as much as all of them, only not as noticeably. Marissa was still as self-centered as she always had been, but the absence of influences like Luke and Holly had allowed her to be more in control of herself – Summer couldn't remember the last time she'd seen Marissa drunk.

Seth Cohen, on the other hand, had changed quite a bit. Physically, he was a lot more in proportion, having bulked up a little, which made his arms and legs not so stick-like, but Summer found more changes on the inside. One thing she knew he'd developed was maturity – he wasn't afraid to let his feelings be known, even if it made others think of him as a bit of a pansy, Summer loved how he told her everything he loved about her.

Summer had changed most of all. PR, or Pre-Ryan, she had allowed the mass opinion to color her own impressions of people, and it had prevented her from getting to know Seth, though he had always intrigued her. She had always known she didn't truly fit in with the 'popular' crowd, and felt a strange connection to the lonely figure sitting in the playground by himself day after day. Post-Ryan she no longer wore tiny tank tops and mini skirts, choosing instead to wear clothes that skimmed her curves rather than outright flaunt them. She wasn't self-conscious about how others at school reacted when they saw her with Seth, as she had been at the very beginning of their relationship; now she would prefer that everyone knew who was loving her and making her feel special.

"What're you thinking about?" he asked her softly, absently running his fingers through her disheveled hair.

"Nothing," She answered with a smile, knowing he'd only tease her for slipping into sentimental mode at a time like this.

"No, not nothing. You were daydreaming, weren't you?"

"Not really, no. Just thinking about how much we've changed in the past three years."

Seth chuckled and lay beside her once more. "A lot, that's how much we've changed."

"To say the least."

Then the bed became extremely comfortable once more, and Summer buried her face in the folds of his shirt. She gave a defeated sigh. "All right, you win Cohen. A few more minutes."

He laughed triumphantly and kissed her noisily on the top of the head. "I knew you'd find the value of sleep some day."

She merely smiled before falling asleep again. It seemed like only seconds before she woke up and he was looking at her, smiling that gorgeous smile that she loved.

"Could I please wake up like this every morning?" She jokingly prayed to the ceiling, pressing her hands together.

Seth laughed and took her hands in his, pressing her knuckles to his lips. "You're so pretty when you sleep," he said, looking into her eyes.

"Only when I sleep?"

"You know what I mean."

…END FLASHBACK…

"Penny for your thoughts?" Seth broke the silence yet again, but this time he was simply curious to know what was causing the gamut of emotions to run across her face like they had been.

"Penny? Is that all I'm worth to you?" Summer teased.

He reached down into his pants and pulled some change out of his pocket. "Let's see. I have a quarter, two dimes, five nickels, and ten pennies. That equals out to about eighty cents, so I will make you a deal. I will give you ALL this change if you tell me what has been bugging you."

Summer reached out her arm and opened her hand. "Give me the money first," she raised her eyebrow. "I don't trust you to give it to me after."

Seth reached across their bodies and let the change fall from his hands to hers. "Spill."

Summer shoved the eighty cents into her pocket and pursed her lips.

"I love you."

"That's it? I gave you a whole eighty cents for you to tell me you love me? You've said that to me before without payment." Seth pretended to be upset.

"Oh quit whining, you big baby." She replied, leaning over to kiss him, "You can have it back if it means that much to you."

"No, it's OK." Seth ran his fingers through her silky hair. It felt so right to be with her, to have her in his arms, that he never wanted to let her go. Unfortunately, his stomach disagreed. It gurgled audibly. "Sorry," he mumbled sheepishly.

Summer giggled. Seth's body was protesting lack of nourishment loudly beneath her ear. "Hungry, I take it?" she said, flashing a smile as she moved to gather her clothes.

Before she could even pick up her shirt, Seth rolled her over, reversing their earlier positions. "Well aren't you Captain Obvious," he grinned back, pinning her to the bed.

Summer mock-glared at him. "Very funny. Now let me up so we can get some food in you. The whole stomach grumbling thing? Not a turn-on." She had barely finished her teasing before her stomach let out a very loud rumble.

Seth looked down at her stomach, that ever-present smirk of his making its appearance. "You were saying?"

"Shut-up," she said, rolling her eyes dramatically and smacking him lightly on the chest. A smile betrayed her attempt at seeming annoyed.

THE END

Wow you guys are lucky, two updates in less than two weeks! I wrote this in about three hours last night, so apologies for any errors, I was so excited to get this finished before the 2nd that I didn't give it the usual time to edit.

I had intended to post this last night, before the season premiere, but our internet was a bit screwy, so I had to wait til I was at work, and now most of you will have already seen it…please no detailed SS spoilers! Don't care about the general stuff, but I want to watch the episode to see the demeanor of them while they're apart before peeps start lamenting about how there's hardly any SS in the new ep.

As always, let me know your fav line/comeback, and feel free to ask questions – if the review's signed I promise I'll answer it eventually!


	25. 325 The Graduates

**The Graduates**

**By Somebody's Angel**

_We'll do it all  
Everything  
On our own _

_We don't need  
Anything  
Or anyone _

_If I lay here  
If I just lay here  
Would you lie with me and just forget the world? _

……………………

Seth and Summer laid the wreckage of the box which had contained Summer's graduation gift. Though it had seemed huge when they were both standing over it, the damn thing was by no means big enough for two, let alone two people intent on celebrating their love. Seth had pushed the bottom of the box out with his head, so the cardboard collapsed over the two of them, then Summer had ripped the side when she arched against Seth's tongue on her body.

Slowly the couple came back down from their endorphin high, their heart rates decelerating and body temperatures returning to normal, mingled sweat cooling on their skin. Summer sought Seth's right hand in her left and laced her fingers between his. He grinned and slowly opened his eyes, turning his head to look over at her. Her eyes were still closed but a small lazy smile played at the corners of her mouth.

"That was amazing Jay," he said quietly, his voice rough due to the strain his shouts of pleasure had caused minutes earlier.

She hummed softly in agreement and rolled towards him, throwing her leg over his hips and draping her arm across his chest. "Cohen, the woman that taught you how to do that-" she gestured with her hand in reference to what they had just done, "-deserves a medal. A Nobel prize even," she finished earnestly, nuzzling his neck.

Seth barked out laughter. "Um, I don't think they have a category for something quite like that Jay," he drawled, dropping a kiss on the top of her head, his hand moving back and forth on her thigh, the other still holding hers between them.

"Well, they should," she replied adamantly, her fingers lightly scratching the 'treasure' trail of hair below his bellybutton and kissed his jaw. "Trust me."

"You just want an award," he murmured, smiling into her hair; the silky strands tickled his nose and its sweet scent tickled his senses.

"I'm a great teacher, aren't I?" she replied rolling onto him, causing him to emit an exaggerated grunt. She heard it and shot him a glare. "Oh, come on! I'm not that heavy."

He rolled his eyes. "No, you're not heavy at all," he agreed, tracing her pouting lips. "You have really pointy hip bones."

She feigned shock at his words and tickled his ribs. He giggled like a little boy and squirmed to get away but found he was trapped underneath her. He tried to pull off her assaulting hands but Summer was too fast and avoided him easily.

"S-Summer, s-s-stop," he begged, turning a cute shade of pink and trying now to roll her off but she wouldn't give.

"Stop what?" she asked innocently, loving the sound of his giggles. She let up briefly then went in again.

"No, don't!" he managed now howling laughter that caused tears to spring in his eyes. "D-don't! Ssstop!"

"'Don't stop'? Okay!"

"No Summer, stop it please! Uncle!" he gasped out.

She finally slid her hands up to rest on his pecs. "Alright, but only if I can have a kiss," she grinned, her chin on hands.

He nodded and smiled, panting to catch his breath. Holding her face in his hands he raised his head to meet her lips. "You're cruel."

She giggled against his mouth, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Yeah, but you love it, and you know it."

"Yeah," he agreed quietly with a fond smile, laying his head back using her forearms like a pillow and tucked her hair behind her ear.

Their lips met again in a slow and sensuous kiss this time. He suckled her lower lip, biting it tenderly then soothed the bite with his tongue. Summer sighed and deepened the kiss, angling her head so she could further probe into Seth's mouth. He moaned softly and ran the tip of his tongue over her front teeth before tangling his tongue with hers and gently sucking it. Her fingers pushed into his thick hair, tugging lightly and her hips started to grind into him. His hands slid over her body, his fingertips delicately brushing from her upper arms to her shoulders, all the way down her back then he cupped her butt in his palms.

Keeping one hand on her butt and moving the other to the back of her neck, Seth rolled the two of them over so he was on top, never breaking the kiss.

"Ow! Something's poking me." Summer broke it, however, and pushed him off her, reaching behind her to extract her jeans from their place between the floor and her back.

Seth looked at her strangely, wondering how clothing could poke her; as far as he was aware, jeans didn't have any hard or sharp edges.

Summer ran her hands over the fabric until she found the source of the discomfort – the box in the pocket of her jeans. She'd taken it out of her purse when they arrived back at the Cohen house, because she wanted to have it with her wherever they ended up. Looking up at her boyfriend, she attempted to wipe the smirk off his face by throwing his own jeans at him.

Seth simply pulled the pants off his head as he shook it, still smirking at her.

"Get dressed."

Sure, enough, the sharp command was more than enough to erase the grin from Seth's face, as he wondered what he had done wrong to disallow him more 'naked action'. "What-why?"

"Because a) your parents are home and we left the door unlocked and b) I want to give you something, but I refuse to do it while we're both naked." She already had her bra and jeans on, and was searching the room with her eyes in an attempt to find her top.

"How about I stay naked, and you get dressed?" Seth asked, making no move to put on any of the clothing Summer was piling in his lap, "It's more fun to undress you anyway."

"No. We both need to be dressed." She replied shortly, finally spotting her shirt on top of the life-size Little Miss Vixen cut-out standing in the corner. "You know, getting dressed would be a lot easier if you didn't throw my clothes across the room."

Seth smiled and stood up to pull on his jeans. "Yeah, but then I wouldn't get to watch you walk around naked looking for them."

"Oh, so it's purely for your own enjoyment," She stated knowingly.

"Yup. But then again, it wasn't _me_ who got my boxers tangled in the light fixture that one time, was it?"

Summer blushed as she finished tying the bows that held her top on her shoulders. She had no answer for that one. While it was fun sorting their clothes from the pile they formed by stripping slowly, it was so much more enjoyable watching a bare-assed Seth search for his clothes all over the room – unlike Summer, Seth insisted on having all his clothing together before he started getting dressed.

"Okay, Miss Roberts, I'm dressed." Seth did up his fly and button with a flourish, then plopped down on the bed next to his girlfriend. "So what do you have to give me?"

"Your graduation present." She handed over the object that had jabbed her in the back.

Seth took it hesitantly – it looked suspiciously like a ring box – and looked into her eyes. "This isn't…you don't want to…already?"

Summer just rolled her eyes at his ramblings, though she understood him perfectly. "No, it's not an engagement ring – you are _so_ doing your own damn proposing. It's a commitment ring."

She opened the box and handed it back to him, exposing the platinum band. There were two stones embedded into the metal; a bright blue turquoise and a lime green peridot. "Our birthstones," Seth breathed, the words barely audible, but both occupants of the room heard them.

"Look inside," she murmured, and he tilted the ring to see the inscription; 'undeniable'.

"Omigod Summer, it's amazing."

"I know we've talked about not knowing what's in store for us in the future and all that, but I just wanted you to know that I'm committed to figuring out whatever we have together. And it's going to be hard over the next few months when we're separated, but I believe we can get through it if we're both dedicated to one another." Summer wasn't normally one for the big speeches about feelings and plans, but she needed to let him know exactly how she felt about their future.

_I don't quite know  
How to say  
How I feel _

_Those three words  
Are said too much  
They're not enough _

"Summer I…" Seth was speechless for a few seconds; unable to fathom how the girl of his dreams had come up with the exact promise he had been wracking his brain with, trying to figure out a way to bring it up without freaking her out. "…I love you…so much."

He leaned in and kissed her, a soft, sweet kiss that simply screamed 'romantic and loving'.

"I have something for you also," Seth said when he broke the kiss, leaning over her to open the top drawer of his bedside table.

Enclosed in the maroon velvet pouch was the final charm for her charm bracelet; a tiny silver tiara, complete with miniscule diamond.

"It represents our two proms; junior and senior." Seth explained, twisting her wrist to find the perfect spot to hang the charm. "Both of them started with heartache and ended with us back together again, so I reckon they're pretty important in our relationship." He finally found the space he was looking for; in between the cup that signalled their coffee cart rendezvous and the horse that represented their mutual love for the plastic horses that had been their companions through their early years. He affixed the charm and slowly counted the platinum ornaments, until he reached twelve; the interlinked hearts that occupied pride of place over Summer's pulse point.

"I love it, and I love you." She said, trapping the charm between their index fingers before moving her hand further up to encircle his wrist. She pulled him down on top of her, linking her hands behind his neck as she brought his head down to hers.

Before they could get too into it, however, a knock on the door pulled them apart. "Seth? Summer?" Sandy's voice was more serious than Seth had heard in a long time, and he instantly sat up, bringing his girlfriend with him.

"Yeah dad?"

Sandy didn't wait for an invitation in, opening the door as soon as he received acknowledgment that the two teens were inside the room. His face was as grave as his tone, and the fact that Kirsten accompanied him told Seth and Summer that the news was bad.

"What is it?" Seth's voice was low and soft; in fact he almost whispered the words, he was so afraid of the answer they would receive.

Summer had never personally experienced the Kirsten-Sandy double-team, yet the expressions on their faces were similar to the one that had adorned her father's face when he had told her her mother was gone for good. Her grip on Seth's hand tightened when Sandy took a visibly calming breath before he started speaking.

"There was…an accident. The car was…went off the road…" Sandy stumbled over the explanation, unsure exactly how to say it.

"Ryan? And Marissa, are they OK?" Seth asked, moving a hand to join his other one and Summer's two in her lap.

"Ryan's OK. A couple broken ribs, a concussion, some cuts and bruises. Marissa…"

Kirsten stepped in when her husband trailed off, her voice steady despite the tears filling her eyes. "She didn't make it, honey."

For a second Seth was confused about who his mother had called 'honey' – him or Summer. He felt Summer crumple beside him at the same time as the rest of her words hit him. Marissa was gone…dead. He turned to his girlfriend but saw that his mother had beaten him to the punch, and the two women were crying in one another's arms. Keeping a hand on Summer's back to reassure her that he was still there, he turned his attention to his father, "Does Ryan know? Where is he?"

"She was gone before the ambulance arrived. Ryan pulled her out of the car and held her in his arms. He's still at the hospital. They want to keep him overnight for observation; concussions are tricky, apparently."

Seth nodded solemnly, still unable to fathom how everything could have gone so wrong so quickly. Just two hours ago the four of them had been laughing and reminiscing about when Ryan had first come to town. They were all four headed their separate ways, but secure in the knowledge that Newport would always bring them back together. Now everything had changed.

The shrill ring of a cellphone cut into the moment, and Sandy answered a phone Seth recognised as his mother's. The fog enveloping his head prevented Seth fro hearing the conversation, but when Sandy came back into sight a few minutes late his face was apologetic.

"It's Julie," the older man announced to the room, "She's hysterical."

Summer clung to Seth as Kirsten extracted herself from the teen's embrace, her face also remorseful.

"She's my best friend, Cohen." Summer murmured as Seth's parents exited the room.

"I know." His voice was just as quiet as hers, and he didn't attempt to offer any insincere platitudes about how she still had him – they both knew the bond they shared was entirely different to that they shared with their respective best friends. Seth didn't even try to understand how she was feeling, knowing that words couldn't express any of the pain she was currently experiencing.

They sat side by side on the bed, hands clasped tightly in between them, allowing the news to sink in properly.

_If I lay here  
If I just lay here  
Would you lie with me and just forget the world? _

_All that I am  
All that I ever was  
Is here in your perfect eyes, they're all I can see _

Suddenly tears appeared in Summer's eyes again, and she pushed Seth onto his back, straddling his hips. "Please Cohen. I need you to take it away. You need to take the pain away." She lowered her lips to his, and he kissed her for a moment before pulling back.

"No Summer, not like this." He tried to sit up, but her little hands on his chest forced him to remain flat on his back.

"Please Seth," her voice dropped to a whisper, "I've never felt as peaceful as I do when you make love to me."

He kissed her without another protest; she had never before used those words to describe it, and he knew that she was telling the truth.

He rolled them over gently, refusing any attempt to speed things up; she wanted lovemaking, she would get it.

The tears stayed in her eyes but, mercifully, none escaped her lashes while he was above her, and it was only when he collapsed on top of her that she allowed them to fall once again; the brilliance of her orgasm removing all her self-control. She clung to him as if he would leave her like her best friend did, leaving deep nail marks that would serve as a reminder of this dreadful day for weeks to come.

When she finally allowed him to move his weight off her and take her into his arms, she released no more sobs. Her tears still fell, dampening his chest and the sheets underneath them, but these were silent.

"I love you Seth, so much." Her voice was barely audible, and though her words said she was speaking to him, the tone of her voice said she was speaking to herself. "Don't ever leave me." She finally succumbed to exhaustion and fell asleep, the emotional and physical exertion more than her body could handle.

Seth whispered reassurances into her hair, more for his own benefit than for hers. "I won't ever leave you Summer, I promise." Each new breath he took hurt a little more and he knew he couldn't keep the stoic façade up much longer. Marissa was his friend too, and although he was nowhere near as close to her as either his girlfriend or his best friend, he felt the loss as well.

Finally the dam broke, and Seth's own tears cascaded down his cheeks.

It wasn't supposed to be like this. The summer after they graduated was supposed to be happy; it was supposed to be filled with laughter and jubilation. He had seen it somewhere in his mind's eye: he and Summer and Marissa and Ryan would smile and laugh and Summer would whoop and kiss him again and again, tell him to concentrate on the here and now and forget about the future. Ryan and Marissa would agree that they loved one another, and that almost-forgotten look of absolute happiness would wash across Ryan's face.

All that happiness was gone now.

Seth cried for Marissa; for the pain her death had caused the two most important people in his life; for the future sadness he knew they would all face on such days as her birthday; for Summer, who had lost the most consistent person of her whole life; for Ryan, who had lost the woman he loved, for Julie and Kaitlin who had lost their daughter, sister. He tried to understand what Ryan was feeling by imagining how he would have felt if the person lost was Summer, but the pain that stabbed through his heart quickly ended that comparison. He imagined how he would have felt if it was his best friend who had died, but the thought of losing Ryan was almost as heart-wrenching as losing Summer.

He cried himself to sleep, knowing that in the morning he would need to be strong for Ryan and Summer, allow them to lean on him while they dealt with pain that he couldn't imagine.

……………………

The next morning both Seth and Summer were awoken by the sun streaming through the uncovered window. Summer smiled at the wall, and snuggled further into Seth's warmth. It was only when she went to close her eyes that she felt the itchiness which resulted from falling asleep crying.

Dread crept up her throat as she raised her eyes to meet Seth's. His chocolate orbs were also red rimmed, and from the sorrow in his eyes she knew that it hadn't been a dream – her best friend really was gone. She pulled away from him abruptly, sitting straight up as tears filled her eyes once again.

Seth's heart broke as he observed Summer fall apart for the third time; and this time she refused his efforts to pull her back into his arms. He recognised Independent Summer immediately, but his heart wouldn't allow him to simply sit there and watch her in agony. He offered as much comfort as he could through his expression, even as he held out his arms once more.

She turned away and got out of bed, almost tripping over the box in the middle of the room in her haste to get to the bathroom. He remained stationary, deciding to allow her the space of showering alone; he believed she would come to him when she was ready to accept his consolation.

He contemplated going downstairs to get some breakfast for the two of them; he knew Summer wouldn't want to be submitted to the pity that would no doubt be in his parents' eyes, yet neither did he want to leave her alone knowing the fragile state she was currently in. A knock on the door brought him out of the deliberation, and his mother solved his dilemma by appearing in the doorway bearing a tray with bagels and coffee.

Thankfully Kirsten didn't try to engage him in conversation before she left the room; it turned out grief was a really effective way to shut Seth Cohen up. He had absolutely nothing to say; no joke would lighten in the situation, and no wisecrack was appropriate. His entire consciousness was focused on the running water in his ensuite and the grieving woman standing under it.

He drank his coffee and stared at the food; he wasn't hungry either. Moving miniscule crumbs around with a forefinger, he wondered how he was going to help Summer and Ryan get through this. No doubt Ryan would barricade himself from the world, blaming everyone but Marissa and speaking in grunts and Looks. Summer's reaction was a quandary; he hadn't been in her life when her mother left, and he had no other basis of comparison to how she would respond to such a loss. Seth was unsure whether she would shut down or flare up – her rage issues provided a strong case for the latter, but her reluctance to voice her feelings led him to believe she might shut everyone out. And he was clueless how to help them; if they pushed him away how would he show them that he still cared? On the other hand, would he be able to handle it if Summer latched onto him, for fear of losing him as well? Not that she would ever lose him, but he of all people knew how irrational she could become when she was emotional – 'irrational' and 'emotional' were pretty synonymous when it came to most women.

The shower continued to run in the background, and Seth became concerned – though she always took forever to get ready, Summer didn't really spend a lot of time actually _in _the shower when alone, preferring to take a bath when she wanted to relax. It was unusual for her to spend more than half an hour with the water running, so when the clock ticked over 45 minutes Seth followed her into the bathroom.

She hadn't even progressed to stripping off her clothes.

If Seth's heart had broken at the sight of her anguish before, it shattered when he saw her sitting on the floor of the shower, fully clothed, wracked with sobs.

He immediately joined her, enveloping her shivering form in his arms. "Geez it's freezing!" He exclaimed when feeling the water soak through his clothes and into his skin. Reaching up and turning on the hot water, Seth moved Summer's limp form into his lap, rubbing her arms to bring the pink back into her skin.

There were no words spoken – nothing Seth could have said would make her feel any better, so he used his better judgement and stayed quiet. Summer clutched him to her, taking the comfort that he offered.

With the water running over them as cover, Seth couldn't help but let his tears fall once again, in an attempt to rid himself of as much of his own sorrow as he could, so he would be better able to help Summer and Ryan with theirs later in the day.

Despite the hot water, Summer noticed that the streaks cascading down Seth's face were eerily similar to her own, and she took solace in the fact that he too was feeling the loss. Obviously she didn't expect him to feel as she felt, but the knowledge that he would also miss her was a great solace.

………………

A week later Summer still hadn't said a word. Not to Seth, not to Ryan, not to anyone.

She functioned…barely.

She ate when Seth put food in front of her, but she never cleaned her plate. She dressed in the clothes Seth laid out for her, but she didn't accessorise and only put on minimal makeup. She joined the Cohens for meals, but she didn't make eye contact with anyone but Seth. She lay next to him in his bed every night, but she rarely slept.

He was her lifeline. Her only link to Life Before.

He kissed her lips morning and night (there was nothing good about any days any more), but otherwise did not touch her intimately. He was by her side every second of the day except for the thirty minutes she had in the shower every morning.

However she seemed to draw comfort from touch; hugs were dispensed with alarming regularity. Summer had never been a touchy-feely person, but now she hugged people instead of saying hello or goodbye.

She cried sometimes, but only tears, no more sobs.

She had barely left the house in a week, hyperventilating whenever she heard a car being turned on. She and Seth went to her house once, to pick up some more clothes, but she freaked out in the driveway, and they had to call Taylor to do the actual collection.

Along with the clothes, Taylor also brought two other important possessions of Summer's back to the Cohens'; her punching bag and Princess Sparkle. Seth would brush Princess Sparkle's hair while Summer pounded the bag again and again, letting out all her frustrations except the verbal ones.

Taylor had come home from Korea as soon as Seth told her the news, and it was she who had gotten Ryan to utter his first word since coming home from the hospital. However she had no luck getting Summer to talk.

Ryan shut down, as predicted, blaming himself and Volchok and Heather and everyone except Marissa. He didn't talk to anyone for two days after the police took his statement, but finally yelled at Taylor to leave after she babbled at him for two hours. He spoke now, but only when it was absolutely necessary.

The Cohens got the full story from the police, not Ryan; that Volchok had caused the car to run off the road, and that Marissa hadn't been wearing her seatbelt when the crash occurred. Now everyone double-checked their seatbelts before the car was started.

Seth and Taylor tried everything they could think of to get Summer to speak, talking and talking at her in the hope she would say something back. Seth dispensed with the lewd jokes after two days when even the most obvious double entendres didn't garner a reaction, not even rolled eyes.

Summer's father had attempted to comfort his daughter, but when she wouldn't meet his eyes or speak to him either he gave up, kissing his only daughter on the forehead and telling Seth to take care of her. Seth didn't really blame the man – he had enough on his plate to deal with in Julie, and besides Summer had plenty of other people who were willing to take care of her.

Julie, after having to be sedated when she found out of her daughter's death, now acted very strangely – she would be hyperactive in the morning, bubbling around making breakfast and doing chores until someone forced her to sit still and watch TV. But then when the show finished she would sit staring at the blank TV for hours, until someone urged her to move from the living room to the bedroom, where she would stare at the ceiling, unable to sleep. She had come to the Cohens' a couple of times, crying with Summer and grinding teeth with Ryan, but sadness emanated off her in waves, and it only served to make the other two worse.

………………

The day of the funeral, Taylor came over to help Summer get ready. She ushered Seth out of the bathroom, insisting that Summer would be fine without him for an hour, even as Summer's brown eyes pleaded with him not to leave her. In a compromise they left the bathroom door open so Summer could still see Seth even though he was barred from crossing the threshold into the blue-tiled room.

When the two girls exited the bathroom Seth was knocked speechless by the transformation of his girlfriend. She looked like the 'old' Summer; hair perfect, makeup immaculate and dress stunning. The sorrow in her eyes was the only outward sign that not all was well.

However the sight of Seth gobsmacked produced a smile from Summer. Yes it was only a slight twitch of the corners of her mouth, but it was more of a smile than had been seen in the past week, and Seth rejoiced inside – maybe they would make it through this after all.

The funeral was a parade of old friends, come to say goodbye to the most naïve princess of Newport. Luke, Holly, Teresa, Zach and DJ were all there, as was Alex, whose heartache visibly mimicked that of Summer and Ryan. Anna met them at the chapel door, and Summer hugged her so tightly Seth had to rescue the blonde teen before she suffocated. She and Seth sat either side of Summer, hands tightly clasped with the distraught brunette's. When Ryan refused to come to the funeral, and asked Seth to read his eulogy for him it was Anna who prevented Summer from following Seth to the podium. On his way back to his seat, Seth saw Taylor staring jealously at the two women in the pew in front of her, and he had to sympathise with the girl. Here she had spent the entire year and previous week showing what a good friend she could be to Summer, and yet Summer chose to fall apart in the arms of a girl she had accused of stealing her boyfriend mere months ago. But Taylor didn't know the dynamics of Summer and Anna's relationship; brought together because of a mutual brief hatred of Seth and a love of the Golden Girls, Anna would always be the type of girl Summer believed best for Seth and yet Anna knew he could love no other than Summer.

As they watched the casket being lowered into the ground, Summer's tears started for the first time in the entire day. When it was her turn to throw a flower – yellow roses – into the grave, Summer approached the hole and spoke her first words in ten days.

"Goodbye Coop."

She let go of the rose and watched as it slowly descended into the dirt, until it landed softly on the rosewood coffin. For a moment she simply stared into the grave, unable to fathom that inside the polished wood was her best friend in the entire world. She blinked back more tears, then turned and walked away.

She continued walking past the rest of the spectators, through the graveyard until she reached the black limo that had transported them from the Cohens' house.

At the Cohen house afterwards, for the wake, Summer pushed Seth away from her. "You shouldn't bother with me any more, Cohen, I'm too screwed up to love you the way you deserve to be loved."

_Well if you wanted honesty, that's all you had to say.  
I never want to let you down or have you go, it's better off this way.  
For all the dirty looks, the photographs your boyfriend took,  
Remember when you broke your foot from jumping out the second floor?_

_I'm not okay  
I'm not okay  
I'm not okay  
You wear me out_

Seth, shocked that she was finally shutting him out after leaning so heavily on him over the past week and a half, tried to reason with her from five feet away – the closest she would allow him to get. "I'm not leaving you Summer. Remember what you told me when you gave me this?" he indicated the platinum band on his right ring finger, "You told me you believed we could get through anything if we were both dedicated to one another. Do you doubt that dedication now? I know it's gonna be hard, but I want to help you through this." His voice rose with every syllable, until they were full-on yelling at one another.

She shook her head, crying now – _why can't he see that he is better off without me? Being with me will only bring him pain, and I can't stand to cause him any more pain._ She had seen his heartbreak every time she cried, and wouldn't allow herself to torture him further while she was dealing with her grief. "I won't let you ruin your life for me, Cohen!"

_What will it take to show you that it's not the life it seems?  
(I'm not okay)  
I've told you time and time again you sing the words but don't know what it means  
(I'm not okay)  
To be a joke and look, another line without a hook  
I held you close as we both shook for the last time take a good hard look!_

_I'm not okay  
I'm not okay  
I'm not okay  
You wear me out_

"Now you know how I felt when I told you I didn't get into Brown! You told me you could make your own decisions regarding your life, and now you wanna make my decisions for me? Why can't you see that you _are_ my life? I've never been as happy as I am when we're together, and apart neither one of us will ever be OK again! We have to get through Marissa's…we have to get through this together!"

"You can't even say the words! She's fucking dead Cohen! As in never coming back! She's never going to be able to love anyone ever again!"

"So that's what this is about." His voice dropped to its normal volume instantly. "You think you shouldn't be happy because she's never going to be happy? Because she won't be able to do any of the things you've planned for the future? Do you really think she would want her best friend to give up her life just because she won't be able to fulfil her own?"

For a moment they just stared at one another, oblivious to the curious glances from other people at the wake. They were the only people in the entire world, and the hurt emanating from both of them was palpable.

Finally Summer turned and ran out of the room.

When Seth made to follow her he was stopped by Taylor and Anna, who were both adamant that he leave her alone for a little while. They could see that he needed some space as well, having been around her constantly since that fateful night.

So Seth reluctantly rejoined the throng outside, squirming uncomfortably at the stares of people who had seen and heard his fight with his girlfriend.

Summer ran through the Cohen house blinded by tears. She didn't know where she was going, and it was only when she smelled the familiar scent of Seth that she realise she had escaped to his room. She sat down heavily on the bed and let out a loud sigh. He just didn't understand, it wasn't fair for Summer to continue living as if nothing had happened when her best friend was no longer able to experience all the things they had looked forward to in their future. It would be better for him, for their relationship, if they just called it quits now before she hurt him irreparably. She couldn't stand it if he ended up hating her, and so as much as it broke her heart she had to let him go.

When finally given permission to search for his girlfriend two hours later, Seth scoured the entire house with no success. He checked every inch of his room, but there was no note to be found, and her cell went straight to voicemail. And idea hit him and he checked the driveway; sure enough, Summer's silver BMW was missing from its spot in front of the garage. The convertible had been in the exact same spot ever since the night when they came home from the new model home, Summer barely able to get into a car let alone drive.

His frantic proclamations that Summer had disappeared were met with scepticism from his friends – they assured him that she was probably at home sleeping off the tough day. They didn't understand that Seth knew she wasn't ready to go back to that house, and it was even less likely that she would be sleeping in the room right next door to where Marissa had spent her last night. Despite this, Taylor assured him that they had to allow Summer space to deal with recent events, and if that meant she was uncontactable for a few hours, then so be it.

……………………

Three days later there was still no sign of Summer.

Her car had been discovered at South Coast Plaza the day after Marissa's funeral, where she had extracted $1000 from her father's credit card. She had spent the night at The Mermaid, paying cash for the room. Then it seemed she had simply disappeared into thin air.

Seth was beside himself with worry, not having wanted to allow her the space in the first place. He blamed himself for her disappearance, fretting that she had been kidnapped, or robbed, or hurt.

The police were called, but it seemed Summer had been watching the crime network lately; they could find no trace of her having used any of her credit cards other than the one withdrawal in Newport, and though her cell phone was missing it remained off, so there was no way to track it. Her car yielded no clues as to where she had gone, and no-one at the bus station or airport recognised the photos they were shown.

Then on the fourth day Seth received a phone call. From Anna. Except it wasn't Anna's voice on the other end of the phone.

"Hey Cohen."

"Summer?"

Seth was on the next flight to Pittsburgh.

……………………

Anna and Summer met him at the airport, and he ran over to them as fast as he could while also dragging a wheelie bag. "Omigod we thought you had been kidnapped." He proclaimed, enfolding his girlfriend in his arms and hugging her like it had been years since he'd last seen her, instead of only a few days.

When Seth finally released Summer, Anna was looking at him strangely. "What? Kidnapped?" Comprehension dawned on her, and she turned to Summer accusingly, "You told me they knew you were here!"

Summer just shrugged, clasping Seth's hand in the two of hers, "I needed a break from Newport. And I didn't want anyone else following me." She turned to Seth, "But I'm glad I called you."

Anna shook her head, unable to comprehend the absurdity of the situation. Everyone in Newport was looking for Summer, had worried she might have been kidnapped and yet the girl was living it up in Pittsburgh visiting a friend.

The three of them went back to Anna's house, and Seth left his bag in the guest room Summer was occupying.

Anna's parents were really nice and very apologetic for the whole misunderstanding – it seemed Summer had led them to believe this visit was planned. They were surprisingly OK with Seth and Summer sharing a room – while the three teens knew that nothing untoward would be going on, the adults didn't understand the full effect of Marissa's death on Summer. Swifty, Anna's Maltese terrier, took an immediate liking to Seth, and kept jumping at him asking for playtime.

After letting his parents and Neil Roberts know that Summer was found and physically fine, Seth garnered permission to stay with Anna for a few days.

A few days turned into a week, and a week turned into a few weeks, and before they knew it it had been a month since It happened.

Summer was better, but she was nowhere near back to her old self yet. She talked, but never unnecessarily, and she still had trouble sleeping. Seth was slowly easing back into showing her more affection; quick pecks morning and night were also given whenever either one left the house or arrived home, which then escalated to more passionate exchanges until finally they exchanged their first French kiss since That Night.

However when things finally escalated to removing clothes, Summer would still pull back. Seth, never one to coerce her into doing anything, didn't push the issue, but he did ask her about it. She ignored or changed the subject the first few times, until he finally forced her to answer him directly.

"I just…we were having sex while she was dying by the side of the road. And now she can't ever experience this again…and I just can't. It's not you, I love you, and I so want you, but I just can't."

It was the first time she'd said 'I love you' since Marissa's death, and Seth couldn't blame her for any of the other stuff – could barely comprehend the other stuff, as she pressed her lips to his the minute she finished talking.

But then everything went downhill on the one month anniversary of The Accident. Summer stopped eating and sleeping altogether. She would take catnaps during the day, but lay wide awake next to Seth all night. She picked at her food and moved it around on her plate but essentially ate nothing. Anna explained the issue to her parents, who only offered more support for the three teens.

Finally Seth had had enough. It had been a whole week, and she hadn't eaten anything more than a handful of raisins and a pack of corn nuts. Anna was grocery shopping with her parents, which left them the entire house to themselves. Summer had recently taken to hiding in the loft, which was done up like a photography studio as Anna's mother was a keen amateur photographer.

He would allow her all the space she needed, he didn't mind that. But he wasn't just going to stand by and watch her waste away. The pizza he'd just ordered would be there any minute and he began to eye the stairs contemptuously. If he didn't think it absolutely necessary to go up there and try to talk her into eating something, he wouldn't have considered facing a probable rage blackout when he disturbed her peace.

When he got to the top of the stairs, having stopped on every other stair to contemplate leaving her along for just one more day, Summer wasn't anywhere in sight. He took a few steps into the room and saw her huddled behind a stack of boxes against the wall.

Her knees were drawn up to her chest and she didn't even look up when his shadow fell over her as he appeared above. The toe of his shoe was right in front of her foot, millimeters away from touching her bare big toe and she withdrew her legs tighter into herself.

"Jay," he began, using his nickname for her to get her attention, "I ordered a pizza a little while ago. Should be here any minute. Come down stairs for a bit." He extended his hand to help her up and she peeled her face off her knees and gave him a mixed expression. He tried to read it, but she dropped her head before he could decipher anything. His hand dropped back to his side as her head dropped back to her knees.

Seth clenched his jaw and looked up toward the ceiling with closed eyes, trying to maintain his patience. That was when Summer spoke.

"I have no one," she muttered without looking up.

"What?" he replied, hoping there was some other meaning to her words than what they sounded like. _Tell me you did not just say that…_

"I lost the one person who supported me, no matter what, the one person who understood me…"

All he could do was start to walk away before she finished to prevent the angry hurt in his gut from forcing him to say something he would really regret. How could she say something like that? It was a brutal slap to the face to have his concern for her completely disregarded. He didn't care how distraught she was at the moment, her words were cold. It felt like she had shunned and mocked his every effort to make sure she was okay, had everything she needed, and had someone to talk to, and a shoulder to cry on. He felt rejected. And he didn't deal with rejection very well.

"Seth, wait," Summer called after him in a panic, scrambling to her feet. Seth stopped and turned slightly toward her approaching form. He didn't look at her until she appeared in his line of sight with the floor.

"I didn't mean it like that," she whispered pleadingly and bravely rested a hand on the white-knuckled fist that coiled around the door handle.

"Then how did you mean it?" he hissed bitterly.

"I meant that Marissa knew me better than anyone else. And I lost the one person who knew every aspect about my mind and how I handle situations and without her…" she stammered to explain herself, but eventually caved to the tears building up in here eyes and the knot caught in her throat.

Seth suddenly stamped his foot against the floor, causing her to jump and whip her hand away from his.

"Damn it, Summer!" he yelled, his temper having gotten the best of him, "If you're so alone now, then why am I standing _right fucking here_, in front of you? If you're lacking support, then what the hell have I been doing holding you nearly every night for the last six weeks to make sure you feel safe even if you can't sleep? Why the hell have I been asking you if you're okay or if you need something? If I'm not understanding you, then please, illuminate me! If we're not _that close_, then maybe you can explain to me why we can finish each other's sentences."

His mocha eyes were frozen over with malice as he speared her with his stare until he lowered his lids and sighed. Summer could tell he wasn't done talking and knew it best to wait until he was done before saying or doing anything. He spoke again, this time with less spite in his tone.

"I am right here. I've been here the whole time. You know those arms you love having around you so much in bed? Mine. And that guy whose shoulder you cry on; not that he minds…Me. I have been right by your side this entire time and you, of all people, should know I don't exactly offer to actually listen and comfort to just anybody. I'm sticking by your side and I don't plan on going anywhere, either…even if you don't want me right next to you, I'll always be there for you, in whatever capacity you wish," he added with a stony expression, absolutely serious about every word he had just uttered.

Summer stood like an abashed little girl without saying anything. She felt like a selfish brat for not thinking about anyone but herself and her loss. Ryan had lost someone he loved, and Seth had lost a friend too. And to disregard _his_ efforts made her feel like an even bigger jackass. Her face contorted into a mask of merciless pain, apology, and self-loathing.

Seth took in her expression and the corners of his mouth drooped into a little frown as his brows came together with remorse. He slowly extended his arm toward her and curved his fingers delicately around her waist. She looked so small and frail and couldn't have weighed more than a hundred pounds now. He began to ease her closer to him until her head was against his chest and he could rest his chin on her head.

"I'm sorry," she whispered through hushed sobs while clinging to his t-shirt in desperation. He shook his head as if to tell her 'don't be.'

"I'm not mad. I was just…I…" He was struggling horribly with what he wanted to admit, for fear of running his mouth and saying entirely the wrong thing, and he let out an exasperated sigh at himself. "It hurt that you didn't trust me enough."

Her arms shifted so that they were no longer grabbing the front of his shirt and she wrapped them around him completely. "I'm scared," she muttered, "…of losing you." She'd felt that way for a while, but never could admit it to him until that moment.

"Why?" he pressed.

"Because everyone I've ever been _this_ close to is gone, either physically or emotionally." At her words Seth once again cursed her absent parents – first her mother had physically left and then her father emotionally removed himself from her life.

"_That's _what this is about? Everyone dies at some point," Seth admonished. He regretted the words because the inevitable follow-up statement was something straight out of a Chicken Soup for the Soul book, and he knew she hated cookie-cutter reassurances. "I'll try not to die anytime soon."

An hour or so later, he was pleased that Summer had eaten three pieces of greasy, unhealthy, straight-to-the-hips-and-butt pieces of pizza.

THE END

So this is the end. The final chapter of Third Time Around – and the longest too, at 8,200 words – each of the others averages 3000. I had intended to get this up before Thursday's episode, but fell asleep writing the night before, and then I actually had to do work when I went to work the next day, so I couldn't finish it. But here is an early Christmas present for you all.

I think it fits in pretty well with the new season – my idea was that Summer hadn't gone inside her old house since Marissa died, and she would have gone to Brown straight from Pittsburgh, if I could have been bothered to write that far. IMHO that tied in with her unwillingness to go home in The Avengers. I also tried to address the awkwardness between her and Seth – It is my belief that they hadn't had sex since their 'box adventure' until that time in The Metamorphosis (that fateful time, for anyone who has seen The Earth Girls Are Easy).

I haven't yet decided if this will be continued into the new season…the issue is that many of the SS moments so far have been pretty angsty, and a lot has also about them while they're apart – which means I'd have to focus on one of them – think my chapter for The Pot Stirrer, as I believe a lot of the earlier S4 episodes would have to be similar to this. My other issue is that anything I write with Summer's feelings would inevitably tilt towards her feelings about Marissa's death, which a) is not the SS stuff I love to write and b) would be incredibly difficult for me, as I the only person I've ever known who died is my great grandmother, who died when I was only 6 – I don't understand what people go through, and I doubt I would be able to do it justice. That was partly what kept me from finishing this chap – I had a hard time figuring out how to portray Summer's grief. I also wanted to make sure to show that Seth did feel the loss, even though he doesn't seem to be dealing with any residual issues in the show.

My other reason for now getting this up sooner is one we all love to hate – technical difficulties. Believe it or not, I had three-quarters of this chapter written when the computer hard drive completely died. We got a new hard drive, but lost everything off the old one – including 80GB worth of videos! That's right, every single episode of The OC, House, and CSI New York, plus all the new episodes of each series. Slowly we're re-downloading everything again, but so far only have the new episodes. Anyway (lol I'm so much like Seth with the going off on tangents) stupid me hadn't backed up my new chaps and so I lost everything (yes, that was new _chapters_, I lost half of the new chap of Seceding Link as well). Now that this series is finished, I'm working on the new (and also last) chap of Seceding Link – like this one it will be the longest of the series. I know I said it would definitely be up before Christmas, and barring the hard drive burnout it would have. Unfortunately I've literally had to start from the beginning, so it won't be up for a while yet.

Songs used were _Chasing Cars_ by Snow Patrol (at beginning, and during the first scene) and _I'm Not Okay_ by My Chemical Romance (during the fight at the wake).

So please let me know what you think! I wanna know your fav line in the chapter, as always, but since this is the final chapter, please also let me know the answer (and reasons) to the following:

fav chapter/episode

least favourite chapter/episode – just to help me figure out my stronger writing style

whether you think I should continue the series into the new season – go back and read my reasons for being hesitant, and also know that the breaks between chapters will likely be as lengthy as the one for this story – then answer

Finally, an enormous thank you to everyone who has reviewed – I love you all. As you will see from my user profile, I've been writing a long time, and the OC ff community is by far the most responsive I've ever had – over 50,000 hits and 380 reviews for this story alone! The number of reviews I've received from the OC community is more than for all of my other stories combined – and I've only written 4 OC stories!

To those who have faithfully reviewed every single chapter (a feat I've never personally achieved) – June.Louise, kursk and polar-ice-cubes – thank you so much, your input and feedback was much appreciated.

Also Doves30, adambrody10, RA4Evah, Wherefore L'amour, PrincessRachel13, and the many others who reviewed _almost_ every chapter – your support is amazing, thank you.


End file.
